The Herald spoke to Thupane Makgoba, general manager of Makgoba Asset Management (MAM), and BJ van Zyl, director of MAM on the plans. The Mamphoku Makgoba Community Trust (MMCT) is the entity that has received various properties through the land claim process since 2007.
Currently, 603 households are the registered beneficiaries of the MMCT.

Makgoba Asset Management (MAM) was formed to manage the assets of the Makgoba community in 2015 after representatives of MMCT and ZZ2 were introduced to each other by Freshworld. MAM currently manages assets spanning over 5500ha in the Kudus River Valley, Makgoba Valley, and Georges Valley through a long-term lease agreement with MMCT.

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“The success of the MMCT – MAM structure used is that the Trust focuses and acts in the best interest of the beneficiaries, and MAM acts in the best interests of the company with a responsibility to secure a sustainable income for the trust,” says Van Zyl. A pilot project by MAM which is funded by FNB and ZZ2 is Makgoba Dieplaagte, an avocado production project on the foot of the Magoebaskloof Pass. The project is in its fifth year and both Mr Makgoba and Van Zyl say that it is an example of what can be achieved in the valley.

On the same Dieplaagte property, MMCT through the land claim process, received a fuel station where there used to be a location with a trade and retail licence. However, this structure was dilapidated and small, and turn off access to the property was denied by SANRAL due to the dangerous area in the Magoebaskloof pass where Dieplaagte is located.

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Because of the need for a fuel station in the area, we negotiated with SANRAL for an alternative site. The new proposed site was approved in terms of access and safety by both SANRAL and RAL on the Houtbosdorp turnoff on top of the Magoebaskloof pass – R71 road. The EIA and subsequent public participation are currently in process.

The location is iconic with a view over the Magoeba Valley and is important in the Makgoba history. ZZ2 and the land owner of Warriors, Rudi Viljoen, have already started to rehabilitate the area by removing eucalyptus. All three parties, MAM, ZZ2, and the Viljoens are in support of this development,” says Van Zyl.

He says that the fuel station should be operational in the next 12 months if the application succeeds. “We, as MAM, are not here for short-term gains but are looking towards the future. The success and functionality of MAM has and will in the future lead to stability and prosperity in the valley and to the benefit of the Makgoba community,” says Van Zyl.

In terms of the well-known Sapekoe Tea Estate, the government through Public works has recently transferred the title deeds to MMCT, and MAM is in the process of securing and administering the properties. “Sapekoe consists of a thousand hectares of irrigable land and MAM will facilitate an inclusive process with local and international agri-businesses into development projects,” says Van Zyl.

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“The land has laid fallow since 2003. The Sapekoe development will focus on large-scale commercial farming, but the properties of MMCT can also accommodate medium-scale entrepreneurial projects and micro-scale plots to allow access to agricultural land with supporting skill transfer initiatives,” says Van Zyl.

According to Van Zyl and Makgoba, many individuals are claiming to be Makgobas who are not entitled to do so. “We have the structures at MMCT and MAM and while it remains an ongoing process to identify and include further beneficiaries, the current beneficiaries of the trust were legally confirmed and the governance of MMCT and the track record of MAM creates a platform that will create stability and development for all stakeholders. ZZ2 is proud of its role in the success of the MAM structure created for the benefit of the Makgoba community.