Feud between farmer and tenants sees livestock illegally removed
TENSION between the owner and tenants on a farm near Newcastle has seen five families losing their 400 livestock.
The feud between Lawrence Hoatson and his tenants had been dragging on for years.
According to Hoatson, the relationship was strained when his tenants exceeded the number of cattle to be kept.
He bought the 4 000-hectare farm in 2001 to produce timber and livestock. The tenants were born on the farm.
When Hoatson arrived, 200ha was fenced off for the personal use of the families. The reserved land included an area to plough, plant and grow crops and to hold 10 head of cattle per family.
Watson said the number of the cattle increased beyond the specified amount and the families started pushing the animals into the mountains, degrading the farm.
“The number increased to 400 for five families instead of 60. The mountains became seriously overgrazed and our farms received a directive from the Department of Agriculture to desist in the overgrazing and to either remove the cattle or face prosecution,” said Hoatson.
He said meetings had been convened by the department and the tenant families.
“The department asked us to make additional grazing available in the interim while they bought land for the tenants to move their cattle to.”
He claimed that the department failed in the agreement to buy land and abandoned the families and the process.
Hoatson said in October 2015 he was granted a court order by the Land Claims Court instructing the residents to remove their cattle, and for the Department of Rural Development and Land Affairs to make land available to move the cattle to.
In the event that either party should fail in their obligations in terms of the court order, the pound master was ordered to remove the cattle.
In February, 400 cows and goats were removed.
However, the Land Reform Department appealed the ruling.
Tenant Mabala Jele, 53, described Hoatson as a heartless man and said they never had a good relationship with him. He said they relied on livestock and crops for survival.
Jele said Hoatson wanted them to vacate the farm, but they refused. All his livestock were impounded – 72 cows and 35 goats. He said Hoatson locked them outside the farm and attacked them when they asked for an explanation.
He was worried that they might lose their livestock for good as they had no idea where they were kept. “When he came here we had more than 50 cows per family. I wonder where this thing of 10 cows per family comes from? He grew the timber on our grazing land; now he is saying our cows are overgrazing.
“We were born here. We have no other place to go to. We are pleading for help from the government, we desperately need livestock and grazing land.”
MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Themba Mthembu, who visited the farm, condemned Hoatson’s conduct. He said the tenants were protected by law and said he had no right to remove their livestock. Mthembu said the department was looking for an alternative farm for grazing and the tenants would be reunited with their livestock.
“The livestock is a lifeline for our people, they have historically and culturally bonded with the farm and they can not be removed. The matter has been prioritised by agriculture and land reform. We will make sure that by the end of this month the livestock will be taken back to their owners,” said Mthembu.
Land Reform director in the tenure implementation system Jomo Ntuli stated that labour tenants had more rights on the farm. He said the legal team has been consulted, while exploring further options to buy the land for tenants.
“It was illegal for Hoatson to impound the livestock while the department had appealed against his court order,” said Jele.