Farm and locals in berry ‘ugly’ row

● It is the second time Anton du Plessis has had to flee his home on a hill outside Knysna. Two years ago it was flames that obliterated his house and killed three neighbours. Now it is blueberries that have prompted him to put his new home on the market.

He and other residents of Elandskraal, who rallied together to overcome the worst firestorm in South African history, are instead fuming at each other over plans for a huge commercial berry farm. The dispute has now degenerated into legal action and a threat of national political intervention.

On one side of the fence are Du Plessis and several other residents. On the other is Bright Berries farm, which was largely destroyed in the 2017 fires, headed by businessman Warren Bright.

The farm has replanted about 5ha of berry tunnels since the fires and plans for a total of 20ha and annual production of 400t.

Last year, the Western Cape government said the company had illegally cleared indigenous vegetation and instructed it to rectify this.

Residents’ objections include health concerns about chemical spray inside the berry tunnels and alleged chemical runoff into wetlands and rivers,

Bright Berries is carrying out an environmental impact assessment, and comments triggered by the process have highlighted other concerns, notably the company’s allegedly hostile interaction with its critics.

“We were threatened with not only legal action but also threatened with political intervention,” one resident said, referring to the company’s alleged hostility to critics.

“These hostile actions by Bright Berries have had a destabilising effect on the entire area and have caused much discord amongst our fellow residents ... [and] community relationships which, in the past, were impeccable.”

The company said hostility had been caused by the objectors, not the farm. “The farm workers and BBBEE representatives are experiencing the complaints negatively, as a threat to their existence,” it said.

Residents were reluctant to speak openly about the stand-off this week. Du Plessis confirmed his home was on the market but declined to comment further.

One resident said the key issue was the scale of the farming operation, which was disproportionate to the area’s rural residential character. “We moved to this area for better health, which is what we had for 13 years until this started,” said the resident.

Desireé du Preez, Bright Berries’ environmental consultant, said the potential benefits to the community outweighed “the localised and temporary social issues”.

Bright acknowledged the situation in the valley “had turned ugly” and said he intended consulting his lawyers before commenting further.

Western Cape environmental affairs spokesperson Rudolf van Jaarsveldt said the department was still reviewing the Bright Berries matter.