GATVOL farmers of Greenvalley in Acornhoek, Mpumalanga and surrounding villages recently took it to the street to hand over a memorandum of grievances demanding that the Setlhare Traditional Council to stop selling their farms.
The farmers were led by Mangwedi Maredi and their coordinator, Enifer Sekatane from the Land Access Movement of South Africa (Lamosa) and other local partners.
They have given the tribal council until Monday, 3 July, to reply to their five-page memorandum of grievances.
Maredi said they are a well-established cooperative and community farmers, which is strengthened by Chapter 2 of the Republic of South Africa Section 31 Subsection (1)(a) and (b).
“Livestock and Agricultural farmers of nearby Arthurseat handed over the memorandum, which reflects the rejection of the intention of Setlhare Traditional Council and its indunas to take away from us grazing and agricultural lands by using Bantustan laws," he said.
"We denounce any activity that deliberately and intentionally demarcates our forefathers' farms into residential settlements, lodges, taverns and amusement facilities without our consent."
He said on 1 October 2020, the farmers had an intervention meeting with officials from the office of Cogta, Department of Agriculture, Land Rural Development, but the tribal council allegedly failed to implement the resolution taken.
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Mahlake said they pledge constructive participation and involvement in establishing farmer's cooperatives and their subsequent functioning, thereby creating jobs, food security, and the communities at large.
"We shall not support any act that is self-centric. We demand the acceptance and permanent existence of Arthurseat 'A' and 'B' Livestock and Agricultural farmers. We also demand the recalling and removal of the corrupt indunas from this tribal council immediately because they're continuously taking our farms by force," he said.
Sekatane said some of the izinduna are demarcating thier farms and gravesites into residential settlements without their concern.
"They continuously ignore our concern not to rezone our farms. Our farming rights are violated. We also demand the Permission To Occupy (PTO) our farms and the establishment of water channels for accessing water from Casteel Dam to our farms as well as road access to our farms," he said.
Judas Chiloane and Kamogelo Sedibe received and signed the memorandum on behalf of Kgoshi Reuben Chiloane and promised to deliver it to the relevant bodies.
