Retired worker fights eviction from farm
Nowhere to go for two wives, 23 children
ARETIRED farmworker with 24 children faces eviction on Monday from a Kei Mouth farm where he has worked for 27 years.
But the government has vowed to defend the family and a lawyer has been appointed to take up the fight.
The former employers of Andazi Menziwe, 68, have given him until Monday to find alternative accommodation for his two wives, 23 of his children aged from onemonth to 37, two dogs, four goats and 10 cows.
The pensioner was served with a notice of termination of residence two weeks ago by lawyers representing Quick Traders 1040cc, the company which owns the farm.
The law firm said Menziwe’s right of residence arose from an employment agreement between him and their client, but Menziwe was no longer employed by their client.
Menziwe has also been accused of “enabling and assisting unauthorised persons to establish dwelling” on their client’s property.
The notice of termination of right of residence seen by the Saturday Dispatch also claims Menziwe:
Has refused to allow his former employer to identify the unauthorised persons;
Has erected unapproved buildings on the farm;
Has previously refused to reside on any portion of the farm other than the portion he is currently occupying; and
Is in possession of cattle which undermines the character of the game farm business.
Quick Traders 1040CC’s attorney, Conrad Battenhaussen, ends the letter saying the company intended to use Menziwe’s allocated plot of land for economic purposes.
Battenhaussen yesterday said he would not comment and invoked the privilege of attorney-client confidentiality. Duncan Batlart, who manages the farm, said he was “totally in the dark” and was only acting under instructions from above.
Menziwe said he had lived on the farm since September 15 1987, when he was employed by a Spanish businessman currently living abroad.
He said: “The purported unauthorised persons the lawyers are talking about are my children. I do not live with strangers here. Where am I now supposed to live?”
Menziwe’s father and mother are buried on the farm.
“My employer built all the six houses that you are now seeing today,” he said.
In March Batlart arrived, cordoned off Menziwe’s home and gave orders that his 10 cattle were prohibited from grazing outside the fence separating the farm and dwellings.
“My livestock have no water to drink because of these restrictions.
“I am paying rent and have been denied electricity,” said Menziwe.
He said he had since forwarded his complaint to the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform.
Assistant director in the department, Babini Mbewu, said yesterday they had already appointed a lawyer to fight the eviction.
“We are very prepared to fight this. We have also started negotiations with attorneys representing the company,” he said. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za