The Department of Land Affairs is set on achieving its target of 30 percent redistribution of agricultural land by 2015, excluding the 13 percent that constituted the former homelands and the South African Development Trust areas.
“In the Western Cape, some 11 163 households have participated in the land reform programme through 200 varied projects on 72 000 hectares of land,’ said Land Affairs? Provincial Chief Director for Land Reform Terance Fife.
These figures emerged during this week?s West Coast Land Reform media tour in the West Coast District.
During the tour one of the success stories that emerged was that of the Berg River Fishing Women, where Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development grants were utilised to purchase a farm in Hopefield, near Saldanha.
The 95 members of the Berg River Fishing women?s organisation all lost their jobs due to changes in industry, with rationalisation and retrenchment procedures implemented in the West Coast fishing industry.
“We decided to apply for this land and direct ourselves to farming because our men also got smaller fishing quotas, while our families were falling apart,’ says Jane Solomons, spokesperson for the organisation.
Following the transfer of the property, a farm manager was appointed to oversee the day-to-day operations of the farm as well as to assist with the setting up of markets and marketing the products (herbs and parsley).
The farm manager is working closely with the executive of the Berg River Fishing Women to train them to take over in due course.
Currently 311 people are leading better lives as a direct result of obtaining this land, with a possibility of further employment for about 30 people.
Source: BuaNews
Archive: Agriculture and Land Reform
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