Mpumalanga government demands return of successful black run farm
61 year old Mfana Sithole dramatically turned around the fortunes of the once decrepit Richtershoek Farm but now the local government refuses to extend his lease, opting to return the farm to its former managers, who allegedly ransacked it and left the land stagnant.
Residents who own property in Witbank may be familiar with Richtershoek Farm outside of Malelane in Mpumalanga. According to a report by the City Press, as well as the observations of successful black farmer and current lease holder, Mfana Sithole, the Mpumalanga department of rural development and land reform has refused to extend Mr Sithole’s lease.
The farm had been left in the hands of former workers who failed to produce crops with it despite government funding and support. By 2009 Sithole says, ““All the farm’s implements, equipment and machinery were either broken down or stolen. There was no electricity and there were no water connections and no water rights.”
In desperation the department only sought a caretaker but Mr Sithole opted to lease the R27.5 million farm instead. The entrepreneur faced overwhelming odds but over a nine year period managed to restore not only basic functionality and order to Richtershoek but, using a R14 million recapitalisation grant that the department offered him, established its profitability without further government assistance required.
Richtershoek Farm now boasts, “71 hectares of sugarcane; 12ha of seed cane; 40ha of vegetables, including brinjals, sweet peppers and butternut; 15ha of seed maize for a seed company; along with goats and pigs.” And yet, despite his overwhelming success Mpumalanga has refused to extend his lease and is currently seeking to return the property to the 72 workers who ran it before Mr Sithole and who, according to Mr Sithole, ransacked it.
“At first I thought this was a joke,” said Sithole. “Most of these workers stole everything and left. Secondly, there is nothing proving that they have undergone any agricultural training after the first disaster. Why do they remove a successful black farmer from a farm which he has resuscitated, and replace him with an entity that has not proved itself?” he asked.
Mr Sithole has approached the Mpumalanga Public Protector’s office to intervene.
