‘We don’t want to fight’
FARMER: STEENKAMP ASKING FOR REASONABLE AND MARKET-VALUE PRICE
Mining corporation ‘Coal of Africa may, in fact, be behind the expropriation action’.
ATzaneen farmer in Limpopo is in a battle with government to prevent the loss of his land, while many are wondering why Coal of Africa appears primed to benefit.
The Letaba Herald spoke to avocado farmer Johan Steenkamp, pictured, to get a first-hand account of a farmer dealing with complications of expropriation of land without compensation.
Steenkamp is also founder of food company Peppadew.
He is co-owner of Akkerland Boerdery, which farms on two properties – Lukin and Salaita – near Njeledam behind Soutpansberg. His business partner is his brother-in-law, Arnold Cloete.
He told the Herald: “I just want a reasonable and market-value accurate price for my land. We don’t want to fight with anyone, but we want to be treated with respect.
“I have to be careful about what I say. Everything is sub judice because we are involved in two court battles – one against the expropriation of land involving the Musekwa community, and another to fight the expropriation without compensation of our land.”
Akkerland was initially offered an allegedly ridiculous compensation, after the land was expropriated in favour of Musekwa.
According to Steenkamp, the offer was neither reasonable nor accurate in terms of the property market value. The company then started a process to ascertain the legality of the offer in court.
Even before the expropriation of land without compensation process began, the new Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane had informed Akkerland that their farms would be expropriated.
The court documents were delivered a day before the Easter weekend, and the business was given just seven days to hand over the keys to the farms. But after an emergency interdict against the minister, a process is now underway to set aside the entire process involving the two farms.
A reliable source told the Herald that the Musekwa community didn’t have a title deed to the Lukin and Salaita farms. The Kuvule community, by contrast, produced allegedly legitimate title deeds to the land long before the expropriation took place.
Steenkamp refused to comment on allegations that Coal of Africa may, in fact, be behind the expropriation action.
Coal of Africa refused to comment while Akkerland Boerdery’s lawyers failed to respond to questions. – Caxton News Service