Those who till the land will reap benefits for all
"A common cause of failure in land-reform projects in this country has been a lack of support for farmers once they become landowners," said Clarke.
MALALANE – “We believe that it is our duty to assist and uplift the communities in which we operate,” said Mr Guy Clarke, managing director of Crooks Brothers Limited (CBL).
CBL is one of South and Southern Africa’s leading producers which has, over the past 10 years, pursued a strategy of proactively supporting the transformation of the industry with communities that have received farms through the land-claims process.
Through these partnerships, locals are sent to college to be educated in agriculture and the management thereof.
This with the hope that they will return and make their land prosperous and profitable for all.
The first of these bursary recipients was the Mthayiza Farm, owned by the Libuyile community under Chief Musa Khumalo.
With the assistance of CBL, the community was able to rehabilitate over 1 000 hectares of sugar-cane land that was rundown.
“It has been a long road to get this farm to this condition,” said Clarke.
The secret in making the farms that CBL partners profitable, is investing in the community and enable it to better manage them.
One is Tshepo Ntsangwane (29) from KaMhlushwa, who never imagined that he would be involved in agriculture.
His family members are the beneficiaries of the Mthayiza Farm under the Libuyile community.
Today he is the farm manager of Mthayiza.
Not everyone returns or sees it through to the end.
“They are afraid of spending many hours in the sun,” Ntsangwane joked.
“I really enjoy it. I get to take care of my family and mentor others who also want to be involved in farming.”
He obtained his diploma at the Lowveld College of Agriculture, now known as Mpumalanga University, in 2008. He worked his way up the ranks to where he is today.
“A common cause of failure in land-reform projects in this country has been a lack of support for farmers once they become landowners,” said Clarke.
“By providing ongoing strong support, we expect to see continued, long-term, sustainable economic benefits deriving from both.”
CBL is also in partnership with the Mawewe community in Komati in its banana and sugar-cane farms.
