From lush red tomatoes to dust bowl
No sign of businessman or money as rich farm fails
A MASSIVE dust cloud follows you as you drive along the dirt road to Craig Gowan, a farm just outside Cookhouse in the Blue Crane Route Municipality.
Stories of “the richest soil in the region” and a R10-million sustainable farming project meant to create dozens of jobs for the surrounding poverty-stricken community seem like part of an old fairy tale when arriving at the broken-down ruins of farmhouses and dry fields where even the weeds struggle to grow.
It is hard to believe that, three years ago, more than 200 farm workers picked bright red tomatoes here, while sheds and storerooms were filled with millions of rands of farming vehicles and equipment.
Agriculture manager for the Blue Crane Development Agency Nico Lombard said they helped Gauteng businessman Themba Mazwai identify farms for a black empowerment farming project he had planned.
“Mazwai and his colleagues came to us with a business plan and asked for assistance to identify a farm ideal for their tomato and maize processing plant. We helped set it up and had regular meetings just to monitor the farm’s progress.”
With funding from the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, Craig Gowan was bought for R18-million and leased to Mazwai who, with a further R10-million from the National Empowerment Fund, started the project.
“We were very excited about the project. During planting seasons the farm employed about 100 people, and when time came to harvest that number temporarily shot up to more than 230 workers.”
Patrick Malambile, 54, was born on the farm, saw owners come and go and worked there during its most prosperous times. He recalls how “extremely busy” they were when about 70 hectares of tomatoes had to be harvested.
“We could barely keep up. We had so many people and it was lovely to see how good the farm was to them.”
At the peak of the project up to 130 tons of tomatoes were harvested on one hectare. At the same time maize was sold, though not on the same scale.
But after just one very successful harvest, Mazwai and his partners disappeared.
Lombard said they had a meeting in April 2012 where Mazwai laid out plans for expanding the business, but none of these came to fruition. After that they never heard of him again, and only later found out he had sold all the implements and equipment on the farm and never came back.
“Now there is nothing left. One harvest later we have nothing.
“The tractors and tools were sold, no one pays us any more and no one besides myself and some tsotsis come here any more. I am sad to see such a beautiful farm go to waste. This soil is in my blood,” Malambile said, staring across the dry and dusty field.
Previous owner Johan Troskie bought the farm in 1974 and left it to his sons, Natie, 49, and Johan jnr, 45, after his death.
They are heartbroken to see how their family farm has been abandoned.
“My dad must be turning in his grave. We used to have goats and cattle in the hills while growing lucerne, maize and oranges on the fields. My brother used to live in the old farmhouse and now there is nothing left.”
Malambile now lives on the farm by himself, keeping an eye on what little is left.
“I try to stop the tsotsis from breaking down the houses, but when I turn my back they steal anything they can carry.
“But I am sticking it out. Hopefully someone will come along to take charge of the farm again.”
If everything goes according to plan, Malambile might not have wait for too long. Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti is visiting the region next week to assess the progress a number of black empowerment farming projects have made, and Craig Gowan is believed to be high on his list.
The department’s acting district director, Thembani Nyokana, confirmed the farm was given to Mazwai and said an investigation into what went wrong at Craig Gowan would start shortly.
“In June last year we discovered the farm was abandoned. The national office in Pretoria approached the district office to cancel the lease, which expires in September this year. The national office advised an investigation should be done before the lease is cancelled.”
The department will also be involved in the process of screening potential new candidates to take charge of the farm. Lombard said the Blue Crane Development Agency had already compiled a sustainable business plan that would be ideal for the farm, and were now waiting for the department and other stakeholders to appoint new owners and managers.
“We really want this farm to work. It is an opportunity to help our local community and put land and resources to good use. We just hope it lands in good hands,” Lombard said.
Efforts to reach Thembani Mazwai for comment were unsuccessful, as all available numbers for him are no longer operational.