– Emerging farmers at the Tswelopelo irrigation scheme have reportedly been unable to make use of land they lawfully lease due to unlawful occupation dating back to 2016, despite a High Court eviction order granted in 2018.
– The continued occupation is undermining agricultural production and the livelihoods of lawful lessees, while government continues to charge rent for land that affected farmers cannot fully access or use.
– The DA calls on Premier Phophi Ramathuba and MEC Nakedi Kekana to urgently intervene.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo calls on Premier Phophi Ramathuba and MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Nakedi Kekana to urgently intervene in the plight of emerging farmers at the Tswelopelo irrigation scheme near Praktiseer, outside Burgersfort, who have been unable to use portions of state-owned agricultural land they lawfully lease due to unlawful occupation dating back to 2016.
They must coordinate the responsible departments and SAPS to ensure the lawful enforcement of the existing court order, restore the affected lessees’ access to the land, and account for why the matter has remained unresolved since 2018.
The farmers recently informed the DA that they have leased the land from the national Department of Land Reform and Rural Development since 2001, with a further 30-year lease covering the scheme reportedly concluded in May 2023.
Of the eight lawful lessees in the 70-hectare Cluster 1, five are reportedly severely affected by the occupation and only two remain actively farming.
In May 2018, the Limpopo Division of the High Court ordered the illegal occupiers to vacate the property, cease construction, and remove structures already erected. The farmers say the occupation nevertheless continues.
They also continue to pay annual rental to government, including for land they cannot fully access or use.
The farmers further allege that people acting on the instructions of the current Mayor of Fetakgomo-Tubatse Local Municipality interfered with an attempted enforcement operation and prevented the removal of unlawful occupiers.
The farmers also advised the DA that they travelled to the Presidency in Pretoria in December 2024 and were reportedly assured that the matter would be referred to the Limpopo Office of the Premier, but say no meaningful intervention followed.
Government cannot claim to support emerging farmers while failing to protect their lawful access to productive agricultural land.
This lawlessness must end. Court orders must be enforced, and the lawful lessees must be able to make productive use of the land allocated to them.