Small-scale farmer fights to save horses from sale

CALEDON small-scale farmer Anthony Sampson is fighting to save his six horses from being auctioned off by the Theewaterskloof Municipality.

Sampson, also known as Oom Pops, testified in the Caledon Magistrate’s Court yesterday and is one of a group of small-scale farmers in the Caledon-Greyton-Riviersonderend region who rely on municipal commonage land for their animals to graze.

He testified that law enforcement with officials from Swellendam drove their horses onto a farmer’s land from the commonage in early 2016, before impounding their horses.

“Myself, another horse owner and a friend went to the farm where the senior farmhand told us he had nothing to do with the impounding. The Swellendam officials know me and said they were called in by the municipality. I left it at that as I didn’t see the use in arguing,” said Sampson.

The municipality’s attorney Greg Claughton argued the farm hand testified to calling officials, and the owner testified there were previous discussions with Sampson and other farmers about their horses and livestock grazing on his land.

Sampson said: “Yes we had met with the owner and because of our cows grazing on his land, agreed to have him sell them for us. There was never a final decision on our horses as we had always had an agreement for them grazing there after the land was ploughed,” said Sampson.

He said while they had met with law enforcement to discuss the matter in 2015, the owner had left the matter in their hands to find a solution.

Claughton asked Sampson if he considered the testimonies lies, to which Sampson squarely answered, yes.