Take Cyril on next farm tour
YOUR article “Former productive farms now derelict” (SD, April 14) refers. What a pity the Saturday Dispatch did not invite President Cyril Ramaphosa to join your tour of these farms. He would definitely rethink his idea of changing the constitution to expropriate land.
I suggest another tour to take the president to these and many others in the area, including the huge tomato tunnels in tatters.
These farms were in full production at the time they were handed to people who had no idea of farming. They had gainfully employed from 10 to 30 people on each farm in areas where there is huge unemployment.
The mind boggles as to how 188 dairy cattle in 2016 could have been reduced to 50 in two years. I suspect many were sold for cash.
They would not have died had the income from the milk been used to feed and care for them. But milk cows must be milked twice a day – it’s a 5am to 12pm job. I know, I was in dairy farming for 40 years.
From the photographs it seems clear the dipping tank was never used, although when the farm was handed over it was working. All that had to be done was to maintain it and dip the cattle regularly. Some of these beneficiaries were recapitalised to the tune of millions, given new tractors and implements and still nothing was produced. To now complain that government officials failed them is no excuse. They should have had to prove they were capable of farming before getting the farms.
They also say they are using cash from their own pockets. Well, where did it come from if there is no income from the farms? If this trend carries on there will be famine in this country. — Name supplied, via e-mail
EXPROPRIATION without compensation is tautology which seeks to protect those who possess the ill-gotten land.
The word expropriation simply means taking a property. The Dutch and British expropriated the land for their own people. The ANC needs to expropriate the land and share it equally among all the people who are citizens of SA. — M Nqoro, via e-mail