22 February 2024
By: Nelia Richter
South Africa’s stumbling blocks are being tackled head-on with a flood of solutions and the future South Africans deserve seems increasingly possible. More than 300 delegates at the Solutions for Rural South Africa conference were able to leave Nampopark with the lessons of 70 case studies.
The 70-plus speakers proved that rural South Africa has not been left to its own devices, said Chris Burgess, editor of Landbouweekblad, African Farming’s sister magazine, at the end of the two-day Solutions for Rural South Africa conference at Nampopark outside Bothaville.
“From a soup kitchen in Bothaville to successful farmers in Centane, everyone has brought new insights,” he said. “You cannot leave unchanged after these two days. We hope it makes an impact and shows that we are not victims.”
One of the flagship projects of rural upliftment is Wiphold, whose executive head, Gloria Serobe, outlined the progress of the initiative. What started on 70 hectares in 2012 now encompasses about 2 500 ha under dryland maize and soybeans in 39 settlements in the former Transkei.
CMAI, a partnership between Wiphold, communal landowners and traditional leaders in the municipalities of Centane and Mbashe, is the result of years of building and negotiating in an area rich in arable land where there are no title deeds. “We step in as the piece of paper so that the residents can do what they are good at – farming.”
Over the next five years, land under maize and soybeans is set to expand to 4 000 ha, as well as commercial livestock production and agro-processing, including a milling industry and feedlots. The model is also being applied in Levubu in Limpopo, formerly the breadbasket of the country.
In 2019, a silo with a capacity of 15 000 tons was erected in partnership with Afgri. “It made a huge difference and changed the game. Now we can trade like everyone else.”
Serobe said there needs to be a shift in thinking that the land belongs to traditional leaders. “Get over that, the land belongs to the government and traditional leaders manage the land.”
Many people have been lifted out of poverty. “They regained their dignity. You have to treat them as landowners. To make the project work, they must eventually own the land.”
In seven years until 2022, the farmers earned R38,5 million and the annual cash dividend ranges from R3 000 to R14 000 per household.
Don’t just plaster over it
Corné Liebenberg, CEO of Laeveld Agrochem, believes it is non-negotiable that things must go well in rural South Africa. “It’s the fastest way we can turn things around in the country.”
Opportunities must be created for people to move back to rural South Africa. “Rural South Africa has a lot going for it, like space and time.”
He referred to bush encroachment on 80 million hectares in South Africa. “I have the vision to sell wood and create jobs by making charcoal.
“The fight over land is unnecessary. Through our niche farming initiative, we have identified 250 ideas. No one should be excluded, there are plans for everyone, from mushrooms to hydroponics on rooftops.”
Crime is the “elephant in the room” and the problem can’t simply be plastered over, he said. “If jobs are created and people have something to do, they won’t get involved in riots.”
The stabilising role of food is not a joke, Liebenberg believes. Laeveld Agrochem tackles the poverty issue with a three-point plan. “In addition to a food package for less than R10 per day, providing people with all the necessary vitamins, we also have a treated seed package that gives you a tenfold return in a space of 3m x 5m. The third leg of the plan involves a programme where you can feed a family of six for six weeks.”
“We now have thousands of inspiring stories. We need to move away from just talking. Go out, take action and uplift people.”
Support vs. aid
Doc Mabila, who tackles entrepreneurship and youth unemployment through the organisation Youth Zones, said: “A farmer may make a plan, but a boy is a plan.”
More than 3 000 members of the organisation are involved in nearly 400 projects, ranging from gyms in informal settlements and car wash businesses to recycling projects that turn old clothes into new products. “What we are doing is not charity. Support for projects is vastly different from aid.”
More than 65 000 children have been helped by the organisation. “No one is born a criminal,” said the Tzaneen-born son of two farm workers, who gave up a medical career for his uplifting work. He is also a director of the organisation Bittereinders.
“Don’t just stare at the problem of unemployment – the real problem is being unemployable.
“Make sure people have the right skills first. A Top Gun approach doesn’t work. It’s also important to note that we don’t own the participants in the programmes. They must be free to be who they want to be.”
Active participation
Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist of Agbiz, said the optimism in the room must be taken further. “Businesses are getting it right by working with communities. They feel the pressure of the economy, animal health needs attention, and it undermines the competitiveness of agriculture. They are threatened by a range of issues.”
South Africa is grappling with three broad problems: no economic growth, unemployment and increasing poverty. “If about 2,5 million hectares of government land can be transferred to beneficiaries under the PLAS [Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy] programme, and it is going to happen soon, more people will be able to get involved at a business level and communities will be uplifted.”
If we want to grow, said Sihlobo, we need to expand export market channels, including t oSaudi Arabia, China, South Korea, Vietnam, India and the Philippines, and ports and railways urgently need attention. “The national logistics council is paying attention to this but privatisation of certain industries can help.”
Active participation, building networks and strengthening capacity through partnerships were also the message from Thapelo Machaba of Agbiz and Hettienne von Abo of Bothaville.
Agbiz will soon reach out to the Golf 911 control room in Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal, which managed to quell riots in July 2021. “The successful strategy can be duplicated in rural areas.”
Von Abo said effective collaboration is the only solution. “Instead of complaining, you should rather be part of the solution. The whole community must stand together as one voice for inclusive growth. “No one can do everything for everyone – collaborative agreements are the solution.”
Just get on the dance floor
Jacques Taylor, the head of CNH, one of the main sponsors of the event, said it is heartening that so many initiatives are already “on the dance floor”, adding: “You can stand on the side and be too shy to ask people to dance, or you can use every available opportunity and dance until the sweat pours off you.”
The reason the initiatives are close to his heart is that his company wants to ensure its clients remain sustainable. “The rural environment must be safe so that farmers can stay there, and we have a direct interest because we own and must maintain infrastructure.”
During the Covid-19 lockdown, he bought a building in Piet Plessis in the Vryburg area. “Everyone thought we were crazy but now it’s this meeting place. Moms who have to drive 80 km to 100 km on often poor roads to get their children to school now come together here. It’s a small investment that has made a big impact.
“I am both surprised and inspired by all the stories shared here. The ideal is for each person to identify at least one initiative. If people don’t participate, we will be victims of change.”
