Sharon Hammond
Unknown to the rich and idle in Nelspruit’s version of Sandton, farm workers have established a small village and self-sustaining chicken farm in their midst, as part of a unique land project.
Four workers at Hoogland Estates, which borders the upmarket suburb of Steiltes, have qualified for a share-equity scheme on the farm, and have become the first land recipients in the country to get hard cash directly from the Department of Land Affairs.
“This is the first time land affairs is giving money directly to the community, instead of buying land or equipment on their behalf,” explains senior planner at the Nelspruit land-affairs office, Chris Williams. “Unfortunately, this also means that there were delays in getting the money to the community, because we’ve never done a project like this before.”
The department took eight months to approve the project, and another nine months to give the project its first cheque of R29 000. Impatient with the initial delays, the workers accepted an interest-free loan of R50 000 from a farmer, Kleinste van Rensburg, and built three chicken houses two years ago. “If it wasn’t for Kleinste, we wouldn’t have been able to start the chicken project so soon,” explained one member of Hoogland Chickens, Frans Mohale.
The R29 000 from the department is R31 000 less than the R60 000 grant they qualify for. Offers of free training were not received with enthusiasm. “They’ve already learned through trial and error how to run a chicken business,” said Van Rensburg, a former town planner for the Kangwane homeland.
The manager of Hoogland Chickens, Richard Mawela, adds: “We lost almost 100 chickens the first time round because we did not know what we were doing. But by visiting other farms, we’ve taught ourselves, so it’s too late for them to want to train us now.”
Van Rensburg said the department would only pay out the difference of the R60 000 grant when the workers submitted claims for what they’d already spent. “The government does not give money up-front because of the way governments are, and this gives the impression that they don’t trust people.”
She said her decision to lend the workers R50 000 was not philanthropic, but economic: she wanted to use the manure from the chickens for her essential-oil farm, which she runs on environmentally friendly principles.
“I knew the government wasn’t going to give the workers any money until something was already built, and I needed the manure,” Van Rensburg added. “Although one appreciates [the department] making great strides in improving administrative drag, one hopes the officials who deal with administrative matters learn from this and become more efficient, because that’s where the problem lies.”
The chicken houses currently makes a profit of about R3 000 every six weeks. The money goes into a float for current expenses, such as chicken feed, day-old chickens and vaccinations. Profits will later be used to repay Van Rensburg’s loan and build capital for expansion.
Mawela says although the workers don’t yet feel the financial benefits of the business, they understand the profits will eventually be theirs to buy the houses Van Rensburg built for them.
Van Rensburg explains: “I just thought I could get the money back for the building expenses, by selling the houses back to the workers at cost, and at the end of the day they would be proud home owners of high-quality homes and be responsible for the upkeep.”
The houses and chicken houses will eventually form part of an upmarket township Van Rensburg is designing. The township will include a theatre, pre-school, designer townhouses and an art school, surrounded by fields of essential oils, lemon grass and koi dams.
But what do the neighbours think? Across the valley, they marvel at the pretty “classrooms” on the hillside, but are promptly silenced when told the buildings are, in fact, hen houses. “Oh! That’s nice?” comes the tentative response.
Van Rensburg laughs: “We are doing our part in helping under-developed people, and at the same time practising sound environmental principles by using chicken manure. The workers have a strong sense of pride, and their children, who will get quality education from profits from the farm, will grow up with dignity.” – African Eye News Service