25/03/2018
Agricultural) land expropriation
I understand the apprehension and perhaps the anger of those who may have ‘their’ land expropriated without compensation and equally understand the ire and indignation of ‘those whose land has been taken’ many years ago. The impatience of those who desire to be given a chance to engage in farming but failed by the system (previous and current policies, politicians and public servants) is also evident. And those who are worried that the land is going to be plundered and fall in the hands of those who are inexperienced or lack knowledge of farming that will lead the country into a famine. All these are genuine feelings, I believe.
There are many African people out there, many, who are good at farming – those who are already on farms on their own and those who work for commercial farmers but too poor to farm themselves. These are people who have been tethered on farms by their employers because of their invaluable farming knowledge and experience, their dexterity and physical strength. Given chance, opportunity and necessary support, like the apartheid system did to their own emerging farmers then, and the deletion of the current prejudice that many African people experience with loans from banking institutions, many of these farmers and would-be farmers, will surely do good.
The many successful commercial farmers that we see today were not born farming. They went through lengthy learning process and huge sacrifice at times. Needless to mention that ‘ou April and Maria’ were always trussed by their side, in real terms putting the hand on the plough and burying seed in the soil or shearing sheep themselves. Today, many of these commercial farmers are the pedigree of the modern agricultural industry in our country and beyond. Thanks to their hardiness and reliance on the resilience and support of their farm workers It has taken decades to come to this point and success became reality to many of them.
Fear of failure of African people to engage in successful farming if given land should not be used to deter the determination of those (Africans) who are capable and who desire and have the quest to farm, to start engaging in farming. All cannot be farmers, that we know – farming is tough, many of us know this. Many still experience this even today on the land they till for others. But they cling on for survival and for the love of the land. They are in the forefront when the wild veld fire rages on and the flames consume the vegetation, when the westerlies howl through the planes in the wintry cold, and when the sweltering heat of summer catches them in the open veld trying to gather a herd of cattle or sitting on a planter in a suffocating dust. They are the midwives when cattle, sheep and goats give birth. They give dopes of medication to sick farm animals and replace worn out parts of the farm machinery. In a perfect society they are in effect farmers! These are some of the people whose hearts beat silently and wish to have a piece of their own land that they can till.
It will take a very long time for the beneficiaries of (agricultural) land expropriation without compensation to farm successfully and become commercial farmers. This is because information is very scares in this regard and perhaps ignorant. There will be many failures and disappointments, but it is ultimately unavoidable for the scale of justice to tilt to the equilibrium, even if it takes some decades the desire of the owners of the land to own and work on it will have to been fulfilled. What is important is the continual management of the whole process. In addition an intensive training of young (African) prospective farmers will go a long way to assist in this regard. (by: Spirit Monyobo for MGroup Communications).
