29/04/2016
Farm Dwellers head for Informal Settlements
Some escape unbearable circumstances to find solace in squatter camps.
Ermelo Mpumalanga, South Africa – It is the things that we cannot see that can have the greatest influence on who we are and the things we appreciate such as community. This is why Khanyisa Newspaper is putting its creativity under a microscope by reporting the challenges between the farm dwellers and farm owners which to some may appear to be mere pot holes on a township road.
Twenty two years after a democratic Government was put into place, many farm dwellers have not experienced even a shade of freedom. There are still reports of gross violations of human rights as was reported during the public hearings that were held around Mpumalanga, particularly, Gert Sibande where some could not hold their tears as they related the painful life that they are living.
Many reported of forced evictions, cutting of electricity, intimidation tactics, retrenchments, forced early retirement as a result of injury at work and being denied the right to bury their loved ones on the farms among others.
According to Mr M. J. Soko who is the chairperson of the Gert Sibande farm dwellers task team, many things are not right in the farms. “People are being forced to bury in nearby townships. It cannot be right. Some people cannot visit their loved ones buried on these farms.” Said Soko.
The Land and Tenure Rights for farm dwellers and workers has been on the spot light of late and Mpumalanga Premier will receive the report in June 2016 from the commission that he set up.
The Extension of Security of Tenure Act 62 of 1997 (“ESTA”) was introduced by government in order to intervene by establishing a balance between the opposing interests of farmers and farm workers and dwellers. The legislation was not aimed at stopping evictions, but merely to regulate them, ensuring that all evictions were conducted in a legally valid manner, with a court hearing taking into account all relevant factors. Section 4 of ESTA provided options for long-term tenure security, for farm dwellers to benefit from land redistribution and to acquire land and housing of their own, but that part of the legislation was almost entirely unused.
In 2005, Social Surveys Africa together with Nkuzi Development Association conducted a National Evictions Survey. The survey was overseen by an advisory committee comprised of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, AgriSA, unions and others. A summary of key findings from the study indicated that roughly 942 000 people had been evicted from farms during the period ranging from 1994 – end 2004, significantly more than in the period ranging from 1984 – end 1993. This illustrated that there had been an increase in insecurity of tenure since the birth of democracy in 1994. Most farm dwellers that were evicted now resided in urban informal settlements like Mabuza farm in Ermelo which has been demarcated into over 602 (20m x 20m) stands and has 3718 people living on this farm but without any services.
Mabuza farm is situated in Ward 9 about 3km from Ermelo Town between Breyten a Hendrina Road. The farm is about 200 Hectares (about 4 km²). It is a 5 minute walk from Ermelo Airport. Its water supply is from three onsite boreholes. One is pumped with a generator to fill up a 5000 litre Jojo tank but if no one comes to pump the water, it remains dry. The other two have a manual hand held pump, but only one is always functional. Those that have cars travel to a tap near Ermelo airport to fill their gallons. This also follows that there is no sewer system, given the number of pit toilets around the three boreholes; the cleanliness of the borehole water is questionable!
There is no electricity and the houses that have been built here are mainly mud or corrugated zozo type because the people were advised in 2010 not to build concrete houses as the Municipality may shift things around when it brings services. Three month ago disaster struck.
Hours of creepy midnight thunderstorms wreaked havoc in Mabuza leaving pit toilets flooded and houses submerged in water: https://youtu.be/9QIJLkZNssE
Mr Nkambule one of the commissioners on farm dwellers, dismissed Mabuza Settlement as a squatter camp and not a farm. (Khanyisa Newspaper, 22 Jan 2016 – Page 3 and 4) “As far as I know there is already electricity and water in that squatter camp” said Nkambule, promising to take up the matter with Msukaligwa Municipality.
Speaking to Mandla Zwane who is the spokesperson for Msukaligwa Municipality, Mabuza Farm is privately owned land and there is little that the municipality can do except issues of health, policing, education and related issues. He said that the municipality had put JOJO tanks and boreholes to alleviate the water situation. He further confirmed that the previous MEC for Human Settlements, before MEC Siwela took the reins, visited Mabuza Settlement in July 2012 after which he signed a Memorandum with the Mabuza Family.
Mr Zwane said in the memorandum, it had been stated that the Mabuza Family should stop putting more people on mew stands on the farm. The then MEC further promised that the provincial department of Human Settlements was going to purchase the land on behalf of Msukaligwa Municipality, after which the Municipality would bring services to Mabuza settlement. The memorandum has since lapsed as there is now a new MEC for Human Settlements. To resuscitate the matter, Mabuza family should come to the Municipality with an offer of disposal of the land, after which the municipality will reopen the matter with the provincial department.
The Councillor for ward 9 Cllr Mavela confirmed the above in a meeting that he held with the community of Mabuza settlement at the beginning of March this year. He made no further promises. Richard and Bawinile Mabuza, title holders of the farm, who were also present at this meeting, expressed dismay at the snail pace of government since the signing of the memorandum in 2012.
The provincial department for Human Settlements has failed to respond to numerous emails that have been sent to them by Khanyisa Newspaper on the issue after having been advised by Mr Ngobe, from the department, to put the questions in an email.
Hours of creepy midnight thunderstorms wreck havoc in Mabuza farm in Ermelo Mpumalanga leaving pit toilets flooded, houses immersed in water. roads turned in...
