Matsamo Communal Property Association (CPA) has noted an opinion piece titled “Land Is Back But Prosperity Isn’t”, authored by the CEO of Phahlane Group, Mr Mbuso Thumbathi.
Mr Thumbathi writes the article purporting to be an expert in turning around troubled CPAs and pretends to be offering impartial opinions. In fact, Mr Thumbathi is one of the beneficiaries of the Matsamo CPA, but he deliberately does not divulge his status in order to mislead the reader and conceal his bias.
Contrary to Mr Thumbathi’s aspersions, the Matsamo CPA is among the few functional CPAs in the country and has been recognised by Deputy President Paul Mashatile for its work and progress.
During the Deputy President’s visit in July 2023, former Deputy Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Mr Mcebisi Sikhwatsha, then Mpumalanga Agriculture MEC, Mr Mandla Ndlovu, now Premier, as well as national and international media also witnessed for themselves the progress the CPA was making.
Mr Thumbathi was present during those visits, and various media platforms quoted him endorsing the success. He said:
“We have always argued that investment requires forward-looking leadership and a stable environment. Partnerships between strategic partners/investors and landowners on land reform projects are encouraged. It is also important to pair commercial farmers with small-scale and land reform projects. All that must be done is alignment of values and clear conditions.”
Just like the government, the Matsamo Traditional Authority is also satisfied with the regular reports it has been receiving through its two representatives within the CPA and has raised no complaints.
COMPLIANCE
The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform has been monitoring the CPA since 2022 to ensure that it complies with the law and regulations guiding CPAs.
The CPA held elections on 20 June 2026 during an Annual General Meeting (AGM) that Mr Thumbathi was part of, marking the culmination of a rigorous compliance process.
This compliance process entailed transparent verification of new members, the production and presentation of annual financial statements, and reports to all members.
To that end, we are automating our membership administration by creating an online system. We are pioneers of this system among CPAs in the country.
Furthermore, CPA member verifications are managed by the CPA’s Executive Committee through a committee of elders under the strict supervision of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. That system is transparent and foolproof and cannot be manipulated.
The AGM was attended by 1 138 of the CPA’s 2 013 members and was closely monitored by the department, which certified the CPA as being compliant with all the guidelines.
Mr Thumbathi did not raise any objection at the AGM.
In his article, he said: “The project is treated as a private enterprise, with each Exco Office Bearer serving on many boards. This is a direct conflict of interest if massive proportions and governance nightmare.”
The Executive Committee holds the sole responsibility to run the CPA and designate board members to serve on the operational boards and structures of the CPA based on their skills, discipline and understanding of the vision of the CPA.
Mr Thumbathi has, for years, and without being elected by the CPA to serve in any of its structures, demanded to be placed on the boards of the CPA companies and be paid obscene retainer fees.
Those demands were turned down, and he has responded by slandering the elected and capable leaders of the CPA.
Indeed, we invited the Minister to initiate discussions regarding a number of challenges facing the CPA, especially around the restitution of outstanding farms and grant support. We showed the Minister the good work the CPA has already done and sought to obtain his guidance.
Mr Thumbathi’s criticism of this visit is telling. The Minister drives land reform in the country and needs to be kept abreast of what is happening on restituted farms and requested to intervene where necessary.
Mr Thumbathi is disappointed that he appears to be the only person who sees total failure in the project, and his call for the Minister to disassociate himself from the legally compliant Matsamo CPA is unfortunate.
SELFISH CAMPAIGN AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL
Mr Thumbathi is on a one-man campaign to discredit the CPA because he has failed to sway the CPA to benefit his company, Phahlane Group.
What Mr Thumbathi avoids revealing in his article is that he has benefited thousands of rands from doing business with the CPA. He has now resorted to peddling lies because he was recently turned down when he greedily demanded more business for his companies from our joint venture (JV) partners, where he wanted to be placed on the boards that run those JVs.
Mr Thumbathi has been going on a tirade, hurling insults at our JV partners, who have expressed confidence in our business and invested millions of rands, and accusing them of racism. He has, without any shred of tangible evidence, labelled the CPA’s leadership as useless.
His behaviour puts our JV deals in jeopardy.
Two of our major JV partners – RCL Foods and Tomahawk – have invested over R700 million in various operational projects and created thousands of jobs for our beneficiaries and the Nkomazi community at large.
The CPA does not exist to benefit Mr Thumbathi and his company alone. The CPA is determined to benefit all its members and the community.
We refuse to capitulate under Mr Thumbathi’s unwarranted attacks, which are driven by his selfish interests.
We advertise our vacant farms publicly, and qualifying members of the CPA who have the finances and skills to run them are always given preference.
However, due to the astronomical costs of farming, many CPA members who were given opportunities to lease farms have failed, leaving our farms fallow for years and failing to pay farm rentals, resulting in huge revenue losses to the CPA.
The Exco eventually took a decision to lease farms only to financially and technically capable farmers, even if they were not Matsamo CPA beneficiaries.
This is not discrimination. It is responsible for the management of community assets.
The CPA cannot afford to leave productive land lying fallow simply because a person happens to be a beneficiary. The responsibility of the leadership is to ensure that the land generates sustainable economic value for the entire community.
CONTRIBUTION TO COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE
Since its inception, the CPA has spent over R50 million in dividends to its members. The CPA has also spent R15 million on bursary funding that has supported the education of 106 children of our beneficiaries.
The CPA has also assisted in fixing public health infrastructure at Tomahawk Clinic and Shongwe Hospital, as well as at the Matsamo Traditional Council offices.
On an annual basis, the CPA contributes to the Cultural Ummemo events taking place at the Matsamo Royal House and attended by thousands of people from the Matsamo community.
The CPA has built state-of-the-art offices, which now employ over 10 staff members, mostly from beneficiary families.
These are tangible benefits that can be seen and measured by the community.
SMME, SKILLS TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The Sivunosetfu and Tomahawk JVs currently employ over 5 000 locals, including members of our beneficiaries’ families.
Under the Sivunosetfu JV, Matsamo CPA delivered over 231 000 tons of sugarcane to the Malalane Sugar Mill in the last season.
Several contractors owned by beneficiaries continue to be hired in various work streams such as cane cutting, loading, mechanisation, security, and cane and citrus harvesting.
There are currently 17 farms covering 14 000 hectares that have been transferred to the CPA. Over 70% of this restituted land produces sugarcane, while 25% is under citrus production.
During his visit, Deputy President Mashatile remarked that the Matsamo CPA was a blueprint for successful land reform.
In order to continue on this trajectory of being a model land reform project, the CPA is planning to sign Memoranda of Understanding with the University of Mpumalanga and AgriSETA to equip the youth with agricultural skills and harness young talent within our value chain.
We intend tapping into the various value chains to explore options around modernisation and adopting a service-based agricultural approach which beneficiates, markets and distributes products beyond simply growing them.
Agro-tourism is another area with great potential that we are exploring.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION
The Matsamo traditional community is the biggest in the Nkomazi municipal area, with 13 villages within South Africa and three across the border in Eswatini.
At the close of the land claims window in 1998, the community had claimed over 22 000 hectares of land. Currently, 14 000 hectares have been transferred back to the community, and the process for the remaining 8 000 hectares is ongoing.
The newly elected CPA is aiming to invest further in infrastructure.
Matsamo CPA is currently the biggest litchi producer in South Africa. Having built a R90 million state-of-the-art packhouse, the aim is to utilise this facility to its full potential to increase citrus exports to more countries in Europe, Asia and the African continent.
On land under the Tomahawk JV, production over the last 12 months stands as follows:
- Sugarcane – 80 000 tons
- Citrus – 38 000 tons
- Banana – 13 400 tons
- Papaya – 3 400 tons
- Litchi – 2 739 tons
- Mango – 5 500 tons
These figures indicate the highest production levels of Tomahawk in its history.
Surely, that is not a sign of failure as Mr Thumbathi would like the reader to believe.
The figures tell a different story.
They tell the story of a community that has taken land that was returned through the restitution process and turned it into a productive economic asset.
They tell the story of investment, production, employment, bursaries, dividends, infrastructure development and opportunities for thousands of people.
They tell the story of partnerships that have attracted more than R700 million in investment and created thousands of jobs.
They tell the story of a CPA that continues to face challenges, as all major land reform projects do, but is actively addressing those challenges rather than surrendering to them.
Mr Thumbathi is entitled to his opinion. But his opinion does not erase the facts on the ground, nor does it diminish the progress that Matsamo CPA has made.
More importantly, an opinion presented as an impartial assessment should come with full disclosure of the writer’s own interests and relationship with the organisation being criticised.
Mr Thumbathi is a beneficiary of Matsamo CPA. He has also done business with the CPA and sought further opportunities for his companies.
Those are material facts that readers are entitled to know when assessing his views about the CPA.
Matsamo CPA will not be distracted from its responsibility to its beneficiaries and the broader Matsamo community.
We will continue to develop the land, create opportunities, attract investment, support education, create employment and ensure that the benefits of restitution reach the people for whom the land was returned.
Response by Matsamo CPA Executive