BY TULANI NGWENYA
MPUMALANGA : The Department of Agriculture, land reform and rural development (DALRRD) has refuted claims of alleged farm evictions in the Gert Sibande district of two farmers who are challenging the department’s decision. The alleged farm evictions by DALRRD are said to have seen farmers being given 24 hour notice to vacate their land. Supposedly many of these farmers are said to be in possession 30 year land leases with the state, noted Annette Steyn MP the Mpumalanga Democratic Alliance (DA) Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. Investigations by Timeless News on the farm evictions in Gert Sibande are ongoing however the publication got a response specifically in the alleged evictions of Thabane Nxumalo of Klipplaatdrift farm and John Mabasa of Goedehoop. The Department of Agriculture, land reform and rural development has indicated in a statement that, “No evictions are taking place in the state properties in the Gert Sibande District.”
Allegedly Thabane Nxumalo had a three year lease agreement on the Ultkyk farm from 2013. In 2019 he moved to Klipplaatdrift farm. The following year, Thabene Nxumalo received an eviction order from DADLEA, despite making an undertaking to meet the requirements for renewing the lease. Commenting on Thabene Nxumalo’s case of eviction, DADLEA pointed out that, a 2019 report from the department’s internal Audit revealed that there were civil servants leasing state farms in the district. It was also revealed that Thabane Nxumalo was a civil servant working for Eskom and yet he had a state farm and had mislead the state in his 2017 declaration in which he said he was not a public servant. In yet another case of an alleged farm eviction by DADLEA, is John Mabasa’s family. After having been a farmer for over two centuries it is said that after having submitted a land claim in 1998 to formalise his family’s land holdings, DADLEA claimed that they had no records of the claim. In 2013, after a Public Protector finding instructed DADLEA to buy John Mabasa a farm, he was given caretakership on a portion of land. The award came with the condition that he should farm as part of a co-op. Allegedly, when Mabasa refused to pay R25 000 to ensure that a proposed business plan be approved by the Department, he later found out that his land had been advertised for occupation to interested new leases.
Investigations on John Mabasa’s status and case, DADLEA commented saying that, “Mr John Mabasa is not a lessee of the Department but rather a farm dweller together with other 15 families on the Remaining Extent of Portion 2 of the farm Goedehoop measuring 1303.1636.” The department has said that the farm was acquired by the State for land reform purposes. After several disputes between two groups on the farm DADLEA intervened on numerous occasions and later on conducted a Land Rights Inquiry (LRE) and tenure of grazing and ploughing rights were confirmed on 305 hectares and John Mabasa was part of the 15 beneficiaries of that land.
Allegations by farmers have surfaced claiming that, DADLEA officials kept records of contracts, however no records of these lease payments were kept.
“Allegations started to emerge that some of the Department’s officials were demanding bribes before contracts could be signed,” said the DA in a statement.
Annette Steyn of the DA has also said that there is no response, one month later after writing to DADLEA Minister, Thoko Didiza to urgently intervene in the case of Mpumalanga farmers who are at various stages of being evicted from their farms.
DADLEA has since advertised both farms and others for new potential lessees to come and view the farms since it started its selective issuing of 30 year lease agreements in the district.
