Farmers, chief in land stand-off
THE descendants of former indentured labourers, who still farm and own land in Inanda, near Verulam on the North Coast, have been told in no uncertain terms: “You don’t own the land”.
This was emphasised recently by the traditional leader of the area, Chief MB Ngcobo, and his spokespeople, at a meeting with Indian farmers and landowners at the Inanda police station.
The meeting was convened by senior officials of the Inanda and Verulam SAPS after complaints by residents in the Tea Estate area of Inanda that unknown people had illegally moved onto their land and had started to build dwellings.
Ngcobo has now renamed Tea Estate Ntokozweni.
The police said their responsibility was only to maintain law and order, and not to be involved in land disputes.
The incident, a fortnight ago, comes after protests in November when people carried placards and shouted slogans following statements by Julius Malema and his fellow EFF leaders that people should take occupation of vacant land.
Addressing the farmers and the landowners, Ngcobo said the land in the area belonged to the Qadi tribe and he did not recognise the title deeds the farmers claimed they possessed.
“I don’t need the title deeds, I need my land,” he told them.
“This land belongs to the Qadi people. The land is not yours and it does not belong to you.”
Ngcobo told the farmers and those who had title deeds to the land that he was not chasing them away.
All he wanted was for them to recognise the land belonged to the Qadi clan.
“I want to work with you and I want to stay with you,” he said.
He said at one time his grandfather owned houses in Morningside and Red Hill, but they were forced out by early British “invaders”.
When one of the farmers called on the chief to stop people from moving on to their land and constructing dwellings, Ngcobo responded: “If I ask them to do that, would you stop farming?”
Earlier, one of the chief ’s spokespeople told the farmers and the landowners that the title deeds they said they possessed were given to them by the British, who invaded and grabbed their land.
“The land was taken from us. Who did you get the land from? You must settle with the king (Ngcobo) and you must sign an agreement with the king,” he said.
One of the farmers, Willy Naicker, president of the Umdloti Farmers Association, said they would make further representations to resolve the unfavourable situation.
“It’s a sad development,” he said.
Naicker and his fellow farmers and landowners subsequently held a meeting with two representatives of the Department of Agriculture in Verulam on Friday.
They told the agriculture officials that they possessed title deeds to the land and farmed mainly sugar cane and vegetables.
“We employ more than 1 000 people and contribute to food production in the country,” said Naicker.
One of the farmers said he had received a letter from the Inanda police informing him to take his title deeds to the police station this week. He said Ngcobo wanted to inspect them. The officials conceded that they should not be subjected to intimidation, harassment, attacks, threats and land invasions.
The officials advised the farmers and landowners to take up their problems with the eThekwini Municipality, the MEC for Agriculture and other government departments.
The landowners and farmers held another meeting on Sunday with their legal advisers to discuss the way forward.
Another landowner and farmer is Ramesh Sivasunker, a third generation descendant of early indentured labourers who had settled in the Inanda area in the early 1900s after completing their indentures on the neighbouring sugar cane and tea estates.
It was one of the most productive vegetable and sugar farming areas, and up to the 1980s Indian families lived there in peace and harmony with their fellow African residents.
But after the Inanda riots in 1985, most of the Indian families moved out and resettled in Verulam and other neighbouring areas.
Only about 40 families remained, but the situation started to deteriorate in the early 1990s and thereafter.
More families moved out, many leasing their land to other farmers.
“We are very saddened by what is happening today,” said Sivasunker.
He said he was born and grew up in the Inanda area, near the Wild Memorial School where his grandfather settled in the 1930s.
His father was born there, as well as other brothers and sisters.
Sivasunker moved out of Inanda in the mid-1980s, to Verulam. But he travels every day to continue with farming. His workers now occupy their house in Inanda.
“We lived with all people here and we grew up as one large community. We did not have any problems. However, the situation has changed over the past few years and some of the people have turned against us. It seems these people want to take over our land.”
Sivasunker said farmers were worried.
“I am not concerned about my future, but what about the younger generation? Their future is at stake. If this climate of fear continues, then they cannot choose farming as a profession.”