Press release
The Motsepe Foundation is continuing with its sustainable agriculture, land development and reform philanthropic projects and partnerships with kings, queens, traditional leaders and their communities and poor rural as well as urban communities in South Africa (“the Traditional Communities Partnership”).
Agri SA has been providing technical skills and expertise and is also bringing to the traditional leaders and Motsepe Foundation partnership, the world class technical agriculture and farming expertise as well the experience and knowledge of the Southern African agriculture and farming industry.
In excess of R600 million of funding has already been spent over the years to contribute to the development and growth of agriculture and farming projects in these traditional communities and poor rural and urban communities in KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Free State and Northern Cape. The funding has been for tractors, farming equipment and implements, irrigation systems, the digging and construction of more than 300 boreholes, the provision of water tanks and water storage facilities, as well as the provision of fertilisers, seeds and other agricultural and farming inputs. Infrastructure and other development facilities have also been constructed in these traditional communities and poor rural and urban communities including clinics, schools, hundreds of classrooms, early childhood education centres, computer centres and other development and upliftment facilities.
Despite numerous meetings over the past 18 months with kings, queens, traditional leaders and other rural and urban stakeholders in KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Free State and Northern Cape and several feasibility studies having been prepared in partnership with AgriSA; the agriculture and land reform sustainable 2 development partnership programme has experienced challenges relating to the acquisition and provision of title deeds and other land security, making it onerous and difficult for banking and other financial institutions to partner, co-fund or provide finance to agriculture and land reform projects in partnership with the Motsepe Foundation, the Traditional Communities Partnership and Agri SA.
However, extensive discussions and meetings are ongoing in KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Free State and Northern Cape involving the Motsepe Foundation, the kings, queens, traditional leaders and their communities, poor rural as well as urban communities, commercial agricultural farmers and other stakeholders to conclude sustainable and long term agriculture and land reform partnerships.
The agriculture and land reform process in South Africa is extremely complex and challenging and the Motsepe Foundation, the kings, queens, traditional leaders and their communities and Agri SA are on a steep learning curve but remain committed to making a humble contribution to the agriculture and land reform process in South Africa.
Photo by Meritt Thomas on Unsplash
