Farmer accuses mayor of broken promises and no payment

No compensation received for keeping herd of cattle for two years

Controversial Alfred Nzo district mayor Sixolile Mehlomakhulu is in the spotlight again.

This time he has been accused of cheating a Kokstad farmer, Duna Matomane, by failing to pay grazing fees and a share of the cattle he had kept for him at his farm for more than two years.

Matomane told Dispatch on Wednesday that Mehlomakhulu came to his farm in 2017 with 67 cattle and “a few” calves.

He kept adding more, until two years later his herd had grown to more than 300.

He said no papers for the livestock were ever produced byMehlomakhulu.

Matomane said the mayor had promised to pay for the animals, as well as give him some of the cattle, but neither promise had been kept.

“Last year during Easter, his cattle entered into our fields of about seven hectares and destroyed them. He promised to pay R5,000 each month for that damage, but he never did,” Matomane added.

When he brought the subject

He promised to pay R5,000 each month for that damage, but he never did

up with Mehlomakhulu recently — he wrote saying he planned to brand 25 of Mehlomakhulu’s cattle as “compensation ”— Mehlomakhulu became agitated and decided to remove his cattle, said Matomane.

But on Wednesday Mehlomakhulu said he decided to remove what belonged to him after he was informed that the cattle would all be impounded. He said he had a verbal agreement with the farmer to keep his livestock there, but denied promising a share or compensation.

Mehlomakhulu said: “It’s true I sent those cattle there without papers, but that does not mean they were stolen. He must approach the court if he says those cattle are stolen, or tell the police. These are not stolen cattle. I have declared them to council.” He said 300 was an exaggeration. “I owe him nothing. All he wants is to drag my good name into the papers.”

Last year Mehlomakhulu made headlines after his elderly mother approached the court for a protection order against him amid a family feud.

In another incident he was arrested at a Pietermaritzburg court with an alleged illegal firearm and ammunition but the case was later withdrawn.