Latest news with #BhekiMlaudzi
The Citizen
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
The land where dreams are made of
A farm in Mpumalanga is giving land reform a good name, showing how community ownership and investor partnerships can yield success. In a poignant book about the liberation struggle in South Africa, Two dogs and Freedom, black township school kids wrote about their dreams for their future. They were touchingly simple. Moagi, an eight-year-old boy, wanted 'a wife and children, a boy and a girl, a big house, two dogs and freedom…' There's an echo of that in the words of Bheki Mlaudzi, 32, a farm worker – and farm shareholder – at a community land restitution project in Mpumalanga. The money he gets from working on the banana plantations and the stipend he gets from the Giba Communal Property Association (CPA) has enabled him to build a house. He is living his dream… with a wife, two children and a positive view of what lies ahead. The Giba CPA project is a shining example of what can be done to ensure that land restitution – one of the biggest political and social issues in South Africa today – actually succeeds. ALSO READ: Mpumalanga association reaps land reform success Too many times, communities who were dispossessed of their land during the colonial era and years of apartheid have had viable, successful farming operations turned over to them, only to see them fail. That has made many people bitter and angry and a handful of crooks, both in communities and in government organs supposed to smooth the land transfer process, very rich. In turn, those failures have provided ammunition for the critics of land reform, who say it is a threat to the very existence of commercial farming. Giba CPA rents out its land to a white farming company which, as part of the agreement, gives priority in hiring members or descendants of the original community. In addition, there is a transfer of skills programme which will, hopefully, provide trained farmers who can work their own land. Giba shows what can be done. NOW READ: Safari lodge shining example of land claim that works
The Citizen
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Mpumalanga association reaps land reform success
The Giba CPA in Hazyview has become a model of successful land reform, employing over 100 people and exporting bananas internationally. Bheki Mlaudzi, a beneficiary of Giba CPA, demonstrates how to prop bananas. Picture: Nigel Sibanda / The Citizen There are plenty of faces of land reform in South Africa… who show that it can work. One of them is Bheki Mlaudzi, 32, who speaks quietly, but passionately, about the chance of building a better life. He works on the farm Burgershall in the Hazyview area of Mpumalanga, owned by the Giba Communal Property Association (CPA), of which is he is a member. Building a life through farming and family Mlaudzi, who started working on the farm three years ago, says the salary he receives at the farm and the stipend from the association has helped him to build a house and start a family. He is a father to two boys and a girl, whom he says he can take care of because of the restituted land. 'Working on the farm that is owned by the community gives me joy and a sense of ownership. My grandfather was one of the leaders of the Giba CPA and he motivated me to take farming seriously,' he says. Bananas, avocados and big dreams 'After completing Grade 12, I decided to come and work here because I was unable to find a job. As one of the Giba CPA senior members, my dream is to see the farm continue producing bananas and other produce, sending them overseas. 'We are focusing on bananas and a bit of avocados. As young people, we need to learn from investors how to run the business.' ALSO READ: Government settles land claims worth over R200 million since start of 2024/25 financial year Mlaudzi's dream is to run his own farming business without the involvement of the investors. But he is thankful to the investors who have been mentoring the community members. He says every year when the investor pays the rent, the Giba CPA members, comprising more than 500 households, share the money. While they worked with the previous investor, they were doing a ginger project, he says. Recovering from setbacks, looking to the future The farm had about 275 employees, but after a storm that ravaged the farm, the number of employees dropped. One of the successful times that Mlaudzi remembers includes partnering with investor W van R Schmidt (Pty) Ltd, who financed the development of infrastructure, irrigation and energy systems on the Giba CPA-owned land. This enabled Giba CPA to transform the land into a productive asset, generating opportunities for its beneficiaries and for the wider community. The farm specialises in bananas, but produces other fruit such as avocados, litchis and ginger. ALSO READ: Land dispute in Mpumalanga as claimants clash over farm ownership The community had claimed 2 700 hectares of land in 2003, and from 2013 they have been renting out the land to investors and signed an agreement that most of the employees on the farm should be the descendants of the Giba CPA members and the local communities. And the community has never looked back as they have been working hard to make sure the farm continues to be productive. Today, it has more than 100 full-time employees and is regarded as one of the province's best banana exporters. Most of the employees are young people from different backgrounds and are from the Masoyi area, Hazyview, Bushbuckridge and surrounding areas. When The Citizen visited the farm, workers were busy harvesting and packaging the bananas, preparing them to be transported to different destinations. Young men were also seen on their motorbikes inspecting different sections of the farm. Farm worker Thandiwe Makhubela at the farm in Hazyview. Picture: Nigel Sibanda / The Citizen Giba CPA has also employed agricultural graduates, who have been allowed to learn more about farming. One of them is Dikeledi Maboke, an agricultural graduate with a degree from the University of Mpumalanga. ALSO READ: Safari lodge shining example of land claim that works She has been working as an office administrator for the Giba CPA and has also been assisting on the farm. 'As an agricultural graduate, it feels good to work here and learn how bananas are ploughed and packaged,' Maboke says. 'I take every day's challenge as it comes and work hard to make sure we continue to do well. My worry now is that we were given 2 700 hectares but at the moment, only 300 hectares are being used. The dream is to find an investor for the remaining portion.' Another employee, Sipho Matsebula, from Mahushu in Masoyi Trust, is excited that he now works on the farm where his parents grew up. Matsebula's role includes making sure the bananas grow safely. 'I am one of the people whose role includes the spilling of chemicals and taking soil samples to make sure the fruits are in good condition,' he says. The role of support organisations in land reform The previous partnerships Giba CPA secured to produce ginger and macadamia nuts were facilitated by Vumelana Advisory Fund, a non-profit organisation. Peter Setou, chief executive of the fund, says: 'The government does not have adequate resources to support land reform beneficiaries. 'This gap can be filled by the private sector through partnerships with communities. There is a need to expand on this range of interventions, but we need support from the government and private sector to reach more communities.' NOW READ: 'We feel used': Was Chris Hani land allocation just a political 'publicity stunt'?
