disgruntled over Landless People Movement's threats and claims
8 October 2007
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs,
Honourable
Mtholephi Mthimkhulu has expressed his disquiet and concern at the remarks by
the Landless People Movement (LPM) spokesman Sipho Khumalo on the matter
regarding a Dannhauser farm dweller, Mrs Lizzy Nkosi.
Khumalo was reported in a daily newspaper insinuating that MEC Mthimkhulu
seemed indifferent and uncaring to the plight of farm dwellers facing threats
of evictions from the farms where they are resident.
This followed an LPM threat to invade the Slytelspoort farm in Dannhauser in
northern KwaZulu-Natal belonging to a certain Mr Johan Bezuidenhout who is
alleged to have illegally evicted Mrs Nkosi from his farm after the passing
away of the latter's spouse.
MEC Mthimkhulu said there was absolutely no grain of truth in the claims
peddled by Khumalo that the department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs
has done nothing to address the plight of victimised farm dwellers.
"Since my assumption of office almost a year ago, I have intervened on many
occasions whereby the constitutional rights of farm dwellers had been trampled
upon. My office has intervened in not more than three instances whereby
bereaved families of deceased farm dwellers had been denied the right to bury
their relatives on the farm," said Mthimkhulu.
He added that he had been instrumental to the Constitution of the recently
launched Provincial Land and Agrarian Reform Forum (PLARFO) precisely to
address the sometimes adversarial relations between farmers and farm workers or
dwellers.
MEC Mthimkhulu said his office had already begun documenting all incidents
of farm abuses and illegal eviction in the province so that such cases could be
brought before the recently launched forum for discussion between organisations
such as the LPM, the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, the
Department of Land Affairs as well as representatives of organised agriculture
through the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu).
"It is therefore very disheartening for one to hear such claims that as a
Department we have done nothing on behalf of farm dwellers. With regard to Mrs
Nkosi, I have asked the Provincial Land Reform Office of the Land Affairs
Department to furnish me with a detailed report as I have been made aware that
the department had handled the case before," said Mthimkhulu.
He added that LPM, represented by its national organiser Mr Mangaliso
Kubheka, is the founding member of the recently constituted forum and therefore
he could not understand the threats that had been made that the organisation
would invade the Slytelspoort farm in Dannhauser if Mrs Nkosi is not allowed
back to the farm.
For enquiries please contact: Mbulelo Baloyi
Cell: 082 415 7277.
Issued by: Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs,
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
8 October 2007
Source: SAPA
