In an effort to deal with countless attempts to rescue the collapsing land reform farms in the province, the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Administration (DARDLA) has taken a bold step and called upon all unemployed agriculture graduates to salvage the sinking ship. Hundreds of graduates from around the province heeded the call from the DARDLA former MEC, Mrs Candith Mashego-Dlamini, after inviting unemployed agriculture graduates to participate in the turn-around of the land reform farms.
Mrs Mashego-Dlamini has since been moved to the Department of Health and Social Development after the recent cabinet reshuffled by Premier DD Mabuza. Before the cabinet reshuffle, Mashego-Dlamini addressed the graduates as DARDLA MEC at Lowveld College of Agriculture on the 17 February 2013. The meeting successfully continued the following day, where the programme managers engaged the graduates on various key departmental programmes.
Addressing the graduates on the first day, Mrs Mashego-Dlamini explained that the initiative was aimed at improving the skills base in the agricultural sector, and to develop partnership as part of the plans to turn around land reform farms. She stated that the agriculture sector employs a large number of unskilled labour workforces in Mpumalanga, yet statistics show that the sector in the province has less than 1.8 percent professionals.
The former MEC further indicated that the Department has identified 292 land reform farms that needed special attention. "Government has been investing heavily on these farms by developing both on-farm and off-farm infrastructure since the inception of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme. But the lack of management skills and resources at the farms has led to their downfall, hence our intervention,” said Mashego-Dlamini.
The agriculture graduates would be given an on-the-field opportunity to work with the cooperatives that have been established by farmers, and be accountable to the farmers that they service. Mashego-Dlamini said the graduates, who are expected to come up with new innovations that would assist to advance food production, would be placed in land reform farms, communal farms and gardens earmarked for the school nutrition programme and experiential training.
“You will be working closely with mentors, coordinators, commercial farmers, successful black farmers, retired agriculture professionals, extension officers and researchers. This will help you gain experience, practical training and work as junior farm managers and ensure good management practices on all the farmers,” said Mashego-Dlamini. She added that the graduates would be receiving a stipend for a period of 12 months and upon completion of this term, the department would consider absorbing those who would have performed exceptional well in their respective farms.
The programme was received with mixed reactions; Ms Paulina Nurse Mahlangu from Ward 13 in Dr. JS Moroka Municipality is one of the many unemployed agriculture graduates that would benefit from the programme. She holds an Honours Degree in Agriculture but has been unemployed for many years. She warmly embraced the initiative, saying she hopes the opportunity would be her break-through in the agricultural sector.
