The Makgoba Tea Estate, Dindine Farm and Zebediela Citrus Farms were once thriving businesses. The multi-million rand farms, which were part of theSince the dawn of democracy, the government has spent billions of rands trying to revive the farms. But the Makgoba Tea Estate, which once employed over 2 000 workers, is a shadow of its former self.The farm was claimed through Makgoba Community Trust in 2006.
Organisations representing farmers have called on the government to provide more training to Communal Property Associations. They say this will assist the beneficiaries with the necessary skills to run commercial farms. “People don’t have sufficient skills you find people have acquired these farms because it is their rightful land but they have no skills,” says Mopani Farmers Association, Adam Mabunda.
Beneficiary Sylvester Shipalana says, “When people got this thing of land, the farms were up and they have destroyed everything and now the farms are down and out.”Limpopo Agriculture MEC, Thabo Mokone says, “We have a program called RAVAL where we are putting money every year almost R30 million to make sure that these farms are resuscitated.