The Portfolio Committee on Rural Development and Land Reform visited the Middelpos Farm in Malmesbury, Western Cape, on Wednesday (2 August 2017) as part of its nationwide public hearings on the Communal Property Associations (CPAs) Bill [B 12 – 2017]. Having heard from CPAs representatives at the first public hearing held in Clanwilliam on Tuesday (1 August 2017), the Committee wanted to get first-hand opinions from the beneficiaries on their experiences of CPAs, the benefits and challenges they have experienced since the start of the Middelpos Farm project by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform in 2012.
The Middlepos Farm, which is located in the Malmesbury area in the Western Cape, is home to about 42 CPAs beneficiaries. The farm was bought by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform when it went on sale in 2012, following a plea from the rightful beneficiaries. While the idea was to turn the farm into a viable business that would improve the lives of the Middelpos CPAs beneficiaries, it has not been an easy journey.
Vines left behind by the previous farmer were found to be contaminated with insects, the 13 families who live on the farm had no access to proper sanitation facilities or housing structures; and many of the children on the farm suffer from foetal alcohol syndrome. CPAs beneficiaries of the Middelpos Farm described the shame they feel when they constantly have to borrow farming machinery from the neighbouring farm, Goedgedacht. They said this is not always an easy thing to do and many times they have been asked why they do not have their own farming machinery.
Despite the numerous challenges they face on a daily basis, the CPAs beneficiaries of Middelpos Farm have not given up hope of trying to better their lives. The insect-infested vines are currently being cleaned and are used to generate income by selling these at R20 a bunch. Parts of the funding received from the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform have gone towards the paying of six temporary portable toilets while the department is currently in a tender process for the building of proper housing structures for the 13 families.
The farm is also home to a female teacher from Wales, England, who not only teaches the children but assists the mothers in basic things such as writing their own names.
The teenage beneficiaries of the Middelpos CPA, who make up the majority of the working force on the farm, have been steadfast and determined to create a better life not only for themselves, but also for those around them. They strongly believe that they can make a success of the farm if given the right training and machinery. These teenage beneficiaries hold dreams of not only extending the current jungle gym into a playground where the farm children can play, but also learn to develop their skills. They dream of creating a successful livelihood that will inspire others to do the same and assist those who are still in school to continue and improve on these opportunities, which they unfortunately did not have.
Thus, while the beneficiaries of the Middelpos CPA continue to struggle on a daily basis, dreams of a better future and the willingness to work towards achieving these dreams have not forsaken them. They cling to the hope that the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, along with the surrounding communities, will be able to assist them in making a success of the Middelpos farming area.
By Felicia Lombard
3 August 2017
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