Baie dankie vir die uitnodiging om hierdie geleentheid by te woon en daardeur ook deel te wees van nog ‘n stukkie geskiedenis wat in die grondhervormingsprogram in die Wes-Kaap geskryf word.
Die afgelope twee weke was werklik waar ʼn tydperk van hoogtepunte en laagtepunte vir ons in Landbou. Twee Saterdae gelede het ons ‘n wonderlike ervaring gehad waar ons nie minder nie as agt bemagtigingsprojekte aan plaaswerkers oorhandig het waar hulle nou ook volwaardig deel sal hê aan dieselfde boerdery-aktiwiteite waar hulle tot nou toe net werkers was.
Die Maandagoggend is ons almal geruk deur die grusame ongeluk waarin plaaswerkers hulle lewe verloor het op pad werk toe. In die twee weke tot nou toe het ons as Provinsie en Landbougemeenskap gewys dat elkeen vir ons belangrik is in hierdie groter familie. Die Regering van die Wes-Kaap, Private ondernemings, die breë gemeenskap en die Landbougemeenskap het onmiddellik gereageer om die groot verlies vir die agtergeblewenes sowel as die geaffekteerde persone so lig as moontlik te maak.
Die fonds wat deur Agri Wes-Kaap in die lewe geroep is, staan nou al ver oor die R250 000. Ons het vanoggend kospakkies aan die naasbestaandes en oorlewendes oorhandig wat deur ‘n kettingwinkel geskenk is, en so is daar nog verskeie ander vorme van hulp wat besig is om beslag te kry. Môre en Sondag word die laaste slagoffers van die Ramp op verskeie plekke te ruste gelê.
In die Wes-Kaap wil ons hê dat die woorde; “Waardigheid, Billikheid en Welvaart nie net dooie woorde sal wees nie, maar dat ʼn lewende werklikheid vir elke inwoner van hierdie provinsie sal wees in ons strewe om ʼn tuiste vir almal in die Wes-Kaap te skep. Binne in hierdie proses is dit egter so dat ons as Regering dit nie alles alleen kan doen nie, maar het ons almal se samewerking nodig om die ongeregtighede van die verlede aan te spreek en as ons werklik ernstig is om armoede te bestry, ongelykhede uitwis en sodoende die kwaliteit van lewe van al die mense in die Provinsie te verbeter.
Hierdie tuiste wat die regering wil skep vir almal, beteken ook dat ons projekte soos hierdie waarby u betrokke is in ons gemeenskappe wil vestig om u deel te laat hê aan welvaart wat ons in die Provinsie wil skep. Dit beteken ook dat u volwaardig deel mag hê aan Landbouaktiwiteite as eienaars van grond en eienaars van u eie boerdery aktiwiteite.
Twaalf jaar gelede het die regering begin om planne in werking te stel wat gehoor moes gee en uitvoering moes bring aan die selfopgelegde taak om toe te sien dat die grond en rykdom verdeel sal word tussen die wat dit besit, diegene wie dit help bewerk het, die wie ʼn behoefte het om grond te besit en te bewerk, maar nog nooit ʼn geleentheid gehad het om dit te doen.
Ons het dit vir onsself ten doel gestel om vir eens en vir altyd toe te sien dat rasgebaseerde beperking op grondeienaarskap tot ʼn einde sal kom deur die nodige middele en infrastruktuur te voorsien. Ons wil dit moontlik maak vir elke Suid-Afrikaner om die eienaar van sy of haar stukkie grond te word, hetsy om daarop te woon of om dit te bewerk in ʼn poging om ʼn bestaan daaruit te maak en ook in ʼn poging om hongersnood en armoede te beveg.
Die vryheidsmanifes wat ook die basis van die grondwet vorm, sê dat die staat die kleinboere sal voorsien van implemente, saad, trekkers en damme om die grond te bewaar en die werkers te ondersteun terwyl vryheid van beweging gewaarborg sal word.
Dit is vir ons belangrik dat ons ʼn nuwe generasie boere moet vestig wat toegerus sal word om volhoubaar te boer in ʼn poging om nog meer werksgeleenthede te skep en sodoende ʼn positiewe bydrae te lewer tot die bestryding van armoede. Ons by die Departement van Landbou in die Wes-Kaap het ook sekere aanpassings gemaak om suksesvol hierdie uitdagings te deel. Ons fokus baie ernstig op die voorsiening en voorligting; ondersteuning en fasilitering van opleiding van boere, met spesiale aandag aan opkomende boere in die implementering van grondhervormingsprogramme en landelike ontwikkelingsprojekte.
Ons het die afgelope jaar geweldig vordering gemaak ten opsigte van die uitbreiding van vaardigheidsopleiding aan plaaswerkers en hulpbronarm boere uit die historiese benadeelde gemeenskappe.
Op hierdie manier is die regering van die Wes-Kaap saam met u besig om op, ʼn doelgerigte manier die ongeregtighede van die verlede uit te wis deur die implementering van projekte soos hierdie.
The project revolves around a group of 32 individuals who were originally members of the Atlantis Small Farmers Association. These 32 individuals broke away from the association and formed their own group, known as Goeie Hoop Landbouvereniging and now known as Leliefontein Farming Trust.
The group is made up of middle-aged members who have previous experience with small-scale farming and consists of 16 households, totaling 32 members. The families form a natural grouping of 8 units comprised of 2 households each, some of whom are living in Atlantis, some of whom are unemployed, other who are renting lands on the very sensitive West Coast biosphere.
The management of the group had received training from an NGO called Goedgedacht Agricultural Resource Centre (GARC).
The group is aiming at a small scale farming enterprise, starting off as a subsistence endeavour and then moving to small-scale production.
The group wants to concentrate on crop and livestock farming.
The group purchased a piece of land in the Malmesbury area known as Portion 18 (a portion of portion 2) of the Farm Leliefontein No 817 in the district of Malmesbury and located within the Swartland Municipal area, Western Cape. The extent: of the land is 31.0250
The Provincial Director approved the project on 25 August 2003 (approved under Section 10 of Act 126). The transfer was effected on 30 September 2003. There was at that time, just enough money allocated from the 2003/4 budget for the acquisition of the land. The payment of the Balance of Grants (BoG) had to be put on hold until the start of the 2004/5 financial years.
Leliefontein Project started out as a Land bank project and was originally registered by Land Bank. Quite late in the process the Land Bank informed the group and the facilitators (GARC) that the R25 000 production loan that they requested was not necessary. On 25 November 2005 Land Bank indicated that they were not willing to approve the loan - it was not justifiable as the LRAD grant would cover expenses- and that the project would no longer be dealt with by the Land Bank. The Cape Town District Office (CTDO) then had to get permission from the West Coast District Approvals Committee (WC DAC) and the Provincial Director to have the project transferred from Land Bank to the Department of Land Affairs. At this stage the business plan was already complete.
On 16 Jan 2003 the WCDAC recommended transfer of the project to the Department of Land Affairs. On 13 May 2003, it was accepted by the Provincial Director as a DLA project.
A Project Management Team (PMT) consisting of the Department of Land Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Swartland Municipality, the beneficiaries, GARC and West Coast Ubuntu Farmer’s Association (WEKUFU) had been established to manage implementation of the business plan.
Through the business plan and the PMT approach, the needs of the group had been identified. In this regard the Department of Agriculture had also made funds available for the project.
The establishment of vegetable crops started with the Department of Agriculture donating approximately 50 000 cabbage seedlings to the Leliefontein Trust during September 2005. It was during this time that the irrigation infrastructure and power line to the borehole was installed. Cabbage seedlings were established on four of the eight sections into which the Leliefontein land had been subdivided.
However, Mr Kosie Syster had established, on his own, a range of other crops on a bigger area on the portion of land assigned to him. Green beans, parsley, green peppers, squash, butternuts, baby marrow and watermelon had been planted by him and is then sold locally to Patagonia, Spar and Pick and Pay. It has been reported, that Pick and Pay had, in fact, shown interest in a long-term contract and had visited the farm to verify production potential.
Some members had also started to keep pigs. The department of Agriculture had made building material available for the erection of pigsties.
Ek wil u alle voorspoed toewens met hierdie projek en die vertroue uitspreek dat u sal groei en werklikwaar volhoubaar sal boer.
Alie van Jaarsveld
Spokesperson
Ministry of Agriculture: Western Cape
Tel: 021 483 4930
Fax: 021 483 3890
Cell: 084 604 6701
E-mail: avjaarsv@pgwc.gov.za
http://www.capegateway.gov.za
