Mawubuye Land Rights Forum
We speak for ourselves
A Call for Solidarity Action: March 13th a D-Day for TWK small-scale farmers
To all landless people: You are hereby invited to pledge your solidarity to Small-scale farmers from Theewaterskloof municipality who is ripping off the landless small-scale farmers.
PROBLEMS FACING COMMONAGE LAND
The coming month of March 2017 will mark a year since the local municipality have seized and impounded the livestock of the landless small-scale farmers of Caledon, Riviersonderend and Genadendal. On the 13th of February next week the Caledon magistrate the court is expected to make a ruling on whether Oom Pops can continue as a livestock farmer which will have a significant impact on his ability to make a livelihood. Oom Pops is currently sitting on a bill of more than R 500000 that he has to fork out in order to save his livelihood. It is highly unlikely that a pensioner can be able to pay this amount of money. Nosinothi Ntsombi, also a pensioner under similar circumstances lost her goats that was put into auction because she could not afford R30 000 to pay the impound fee and she has been left into a worse off condition.
In addition to Oom Pops case, there are several other small scale farmers who are still awaiting their day in court. Furthermore, in the past few years with the latest incident in 2015, this municipality has been continuing to rip-off people’s livelihoods with no consideration whatsoever to devise means within its available resources to help improve the conditions of small-scale farmers and recognise them as rational economic players.
Contrary to the position that the claim from the municipality that they have no mandate to help small-scale farmers, Mawubuye land rights Forum is of the view that such a claim is misleading. As Mawubuye we view the issue of impoundment as directly linked to lack of access to land for grazing. Mawubuye is also aware of the fact that this municipality is selling and the existing commonage land to white commercial farmers and that seen as an action of racially discriminating the poor black farmers. It is in that light that we strongly feel that the court while it is within its right to decide on the case at hand, the land question requires political solution and commitment from all organs of the state including the municipalities. We are more than prepared to further engage with problem and be part of the solution if the municipality and the relevant government departments show willingness to address the problem.
The Call for Action:
As the forum of representing the interests of the landless people and small-scale farmers in the district; Mawubuye Land Rights Forum makes a call to all the landless people to join the peaceful demonstration in solidarity of the Theewaterskloof small-scale farmers and force the municipality to exercise its developmental mandate by allocating existing municipal commonage to the landless small-scale in the municipal area.
OUR DEMANDS!
1. Immediate allocation of an alternative land for grazing.
2. A lease agreement longer than three year, a minimum of 10 years.
3. Audited information on existing commonage land in the Theewaterskloof Municipality.
4. Information on all commonage land that is leased to commercial farmers.
5. We demand consultation from the municipality on all the issues concerning land for agriculture.
6. We demand that existing leases to commercial farmers be cancelled.
7. We demand that all the existing commonage land be given to small-scale farmers including other state owned experimental farms currently used for other purposes rather than public interest.
8. An immediate round-table discussion with provincial government, TWK, Public works & DRDLR.
Date: 13 March 2017
Meeting Place: Caledon Magistrate court
Time: 10h00
Memorandum submission time: 12h00
For more information please contact:
Henry Michaels-079 9367 488
OR
Reinette Heunis- 0834022 150
OR
Bonginkosi Bongelo- 0731949 668