A critical appraisal of South Africa's market-based land reform policy

Chapter 6: LRAD projects in Limpopo
The beneficiaries interviewed identified a
range of other support services they felt
would assist them to succeed as farmers.
The majority of respondents identified the
lack of access to finance for improvements
on the farms and expansion of production
as the most significant factor limiting them
in achieving their goals. The next most
commonly identified needs related to the
provision of water and improvement of
roads. Other requirements mentioned by
more than one respondent were: assistance
with marketing; provision of fodder during
drought periods; agricultural extension
services; and the handover of the title
deeds for the land.
All the farmers feel they could benefit
from training in a range of activities related
to the farm operations. They specifically
mentioned training in the following areas:
financial management, marketing, artificial
insemination, veld management, identifying
symptoms of different illnesses, application
of vaccines, financial management,
record keeping, and business skills. The
only training that has been organised for
the beneficiaries so far was a workshop on
finance and budgeting that the Steilloop
farmers attended.
Challenges, hopes and
recommendations
The beneficiaries have experienced a
range of challenges as they have tried to
farm. These have included veld fires,
shortages of water, drought, poor or no
roads, damaged fences, theft of livestock
and poor disease control. In one case a
respondent believed that it was a neighbouring
white farmer who had burnt his
veld (interview 15). Another concern is not
being able to get further loan financing
from the Land Bank, apparently due to
limits set by the Bank (interview 16). Mr
Kutumela had particular problems, the
main one being lekkerbreek (a poisonous
plant) that killed about 30 of his cattle in
1998–99. His farm is also covered in thorn
trees that are reducing its potential for
grazing, but Mr Kutumela has been told
that he cannot cut them down due to
conservation laws.
Most respondents expressed an interest in
expanding their production through
gaining more land or improving the
carrying capacity of the land and the
quality of the livestock. For example Mr
Ramuthaga (interview 5) hopes to improve
the carrying capacity on his farm through
de-bushing, planting other grass varieties
and, if he had the money, feedlots. Other
plans that respondents have for improving
stock quality are to bring in better bulls,
improve access to water, and deal with
sicknesses. Some beneficiaries shared their
hopes for building abattoirs or expanding
into dairy farming, poultry production or
crop production.
The most common recommendation
that beneficiaries made for improving the
LRAD programme was to increase the
grant size. This was also motivated by
some as a way to reduce their debt and the
risk that they may not be able to repay the
loans. The Mankweng Integrated group
also wanted grant money to come straight
into the group’s own account, with DLA
monitoring the expenditure, rather than the
current system where DLA holds the
money and manages the expenditure.
While calling for more access to finance,
some beneficiaries suggested that the Land
Bank should not repossess the farms if the
owners default on debt payments. One
respondent emphasised that the Bank
should write off any debts if losses were
suffered due to natural disasters. Another
suggested that more should be done to
ensure that the beneficiaries have the
knowledge, skills and commitment to use
the land productively.
Endnotes
1. He moved cattle from Nwanedi farms, in former
Venda because the drought was bad there. His
intention was to move some of the cattle to
Malumulele, in the former Gazankulu, where he has
access to communal grazing that he believed would
be better (Wegerif 2003).
2. He usually kept about 80 cattle at the farm, but due to
drought he had just moved cattle ‘home’ to a
communal area in former Venda, and was left with
30 at Manamead at the time of the interview.
3. Minimum wages for the agricultural sector came into
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