The LDA is the 2010 PMR Awards winners,in Gold and Silver for ...

08 - 15 July 2011
10- 15 December 2010
Temo News is published by the Sub-Branch Communication and Liaison Services: Tel: 015 294 3000, Editor-in-Chief: Kenny Mathivha,
Editor: Mashudu Mabata & Samson Mabunda,Senior Graphic Designer: Zwiitwaho Ian Maphiri,Designer :Humbulani Brian Mashamba
Black game farming
in action
Story on page 2
The LDA is the 2010 PMR Awards winners,in Gold and Silver for providing excellent
public service delivery

game farming in action
By Samson Mabunda
Last November,
Temo News
reported about
the exposure visit of Black farmers to
Lumarie Game Farm in Bela-Bela during
which the Wildlife Ranching South Africa
(WRSA) indicated its willingness to help
emerging Black game farmers.Temo News
is giving a spotlight on Bonwaphala Game
Farm, one of the few black owned game
farms.
This 4 000 hectare Bela-Bela situated
farm belongs to 254 beneficiaries that
acquired the land in 2007 through the
government’s land reform programme.
The beneficiaries who are community
members are scattered across Limpopo,
North West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga
provinces. Animal species such as giraffe,
kudu, impala, blue wildebeest, black
wildebeest, blesbok, eland, waterbuck,
gemsbok, nyala, zebra, springbok, warthog,
ostrichand others are kept on the farm.
The community owned farm is under
Communal Property Association (CPA).
The CPA has leased the land to
Mahlohonolo Investments, a private
business formed by the CPA and a strategic
partner, Dr Dirk Snyman. Mahlohonolo
Investments runs the business and pays
rental for using the land. Since the business
is at an early stage and the fruits are yet
to be reaped, the benefiting households
receive groceries monthly.
“Our future plan is to establish Bela-
Bela Investment Trust whereby each
household will hold a unit trust. Whenever
there are dividends in the company, they
will be distributed equally to the
households. When the business flourishes,
households will collect cash instead of
food parcels,” says Bela-Bela CPA
chairperson, Mr Lefa Mabuela.
Mabuela says the strategic partner has
begun imparting skills to his black partners.
In the long run says Mabuela, community
members having passion for game farming
will be identified.
Thereafter, they will
be trained in
management,
maintenance,
hunting and other
skills. Temo News
wanted to know the
secret behind the stability existing at this
enterprise. This curiosity arose due to
infighting that characterises some of
community projects similarly acquired
through the land reform programme. In
response, Mabuela states that they have a
management structure which deals with
farm management and the CPA executive
that deals with community issues on the
other hand.
At Bonwaphala Game Farm, a visitor
is welcomed by refurbishment of
“Our future plan is to establish Bela-Bela Investment Trust whereby
each household will hold a unit trust. Whenever there are dividends in
the company, they will be distributed equally to the households. When the
business flourishes, households will collect cash instead of food parcels,”
says Bela-Bela CPA chairperson, Mr Lefa Mabuela.
accommodation facilities, smiles of
workers and wild animals walking,
grazing, drinking water or enjoying the
08 July - 14 July 2011 -Page 2
Nyala ( Ewe) at Bonwaphala Game Farm
Nyala ( Bull) at Bonwaphala Game Farm
shades that nature provided them.
WRSApresident, Mr Jacques Malan,
expresses his happiness about Bonwaphala
Game Farm venture. “They [beneficiaries]
are not just owning land and staying on it.
They keep it as income earning business,”
he indicates.
Mabuela has this advice for land reform
beneficiaries like him: “The mentality of
our people must change.
Claiming the land is one thing
and maintaining it is another
story. An ordinary community
member believes that owning
a farm means printing money,
whereas practically, acquiring
land has financial
consequences; Eskom, maintenance,
security, labour cost etc.”

Time bomb for lazy government officials
By Thabo Matokane &
Obakeng Mogara
Waterberg public
participation
(imbizo) was
held on Friday, 1July
2011 at Clermont in
Mokgalakwena.The
Limpopo Provincial
Government
departments
including the
L i m p o p o
Department of
Agriculture (LDA)
gathered under one
roof to get a
feedback about the
quality of service
delivery they are
rendering in the
district. The Acting
Premier, MEC
Namane Dickson
Masemola together
with MEC for Local
Government and
Housing, Mr Soviet
Lekganyane and MEC for Health, Ms
DikelediMagadzi were there to listen to
what the public say about their government.
Representatives from various community
structures amongst them;Forum for disabled
people, Bakenberg Taxi Association,
Community Policing Forum and traditional
leadership made sure they did not miss the
day.The agricultural structures were
represented by MafuloMatala Farmers
Association (MAMAFA)andMogalakwena
Tomato Association.
Communities complained about poor
road conditions which were left ungraded.
On the brighter side,MAMAFA and
Mogalakwena Tomato Association indicated
that they were doing well. The challenge
for tomato growers mentioned was the
market. In contrast, livestock farmers under
MAMAFA indicated that market was not a
problem as they sell to their communities.
08 July - 14 July 2011 -Page 3
MAMAFA consists of 42 livestock
farmerswhose cattle breeds are Brahman
and Bonsmara. These farmers also specialise
One of the farmers raises a point during Waterberg public participation (imbizo) held on 1 July 2011 at Clermont in Mokgalakwena.
By Matsobane Manaka In a bid to address
food security and
job creation mandate, the Limpopo
Department of Agriculture (LDA) continue
to prioritise training as an intervention to a
long term solution. The first group of 26
people had completed a three-week course
on Community
Organising towards
E c o n o m i c
Corporation and
Corporative
Development in
Limpopo.
workshop kicked-off
at Dinoko Lodge,
outside Polokwane
from 07 to 29 June
2011. Extension
officers and farmers
have received a
combination of local
and international feel
on cooperatives as the course facilitators
were from both Head Office and Israel. If
the slogan “Think global and Act local” is
anything to go by, watch the space because
participants promised to discharge what they
had equipped with in the intensive threeweek
attendance.
with Boer and Kalahari goats. They indicated
that if the LDA could assist them with a
fence and feedlots, stock loss due to frequent
droughts would be minimised.
MEC Lekganyane lashed out local
municipal officials and said “people who
deny residents proper quality service
delivery should be brought to book and
suffer the consequences of their negligence”.
MolemoleFemale Entrepreneur of the Year Awards
Senior Manager, Mr Jethro Nowata; Farmer from Sekhukhune District, Ms
Tshephiso Gloria Phakoago and Course Facilitator from Cooperative
Development Centre, Mr Rafi Goldman
The training covered following areas:
· Social change model (how do we
approach communities)
· Creating collaboration and
cooperatives
· Vision and leadership
· The nature of change and changes
in South Africa
· Cooperative Identification and
competitive advantages
· Value chain analysis
· Leadership and management
· Creating a work plan for a
cooperative enterprise development
Bidding farewell to graduates, Mr. Eran
Buchaltzev course facilitator said that they
must belief in themselves so they become
the drivers of this change. Facilitators vowed
that their doors are always open for
assistance.
This piece is the second instalment of
the article previously published in Temo
News.

MolemoleFemale Entrepreneur
of the Year Awards
By Matsobane Manaka Tension was roof
high among
Female Farmers of the Molemole
Municipality in Fatima Mission Hall this
week when the presentation of awards drew
closer in
Capricorn
District at
Mohodi Ga-
Manthata on
July 05, 2011. It
was one of the
events currently
k e e p i n g
municipalities
and districts up
in their heels to
pave the way
towards the
provincial
awards which
will take place in
August to
coincide with
t h e
commemoration
of Women’s
Month.
T h i s
happens less
than three weeks
of hosting the
prestigious Aspirant Young Farmer of Year
Awards. The aim is to inspire women to
develop interest in agriculture and support
the existing projects led by women in
agriculture.
Nominees who won the competition in
four categories of Best Female Worker,
Subsistence, Small Holder and Commercial
UPCOMING EVENTS
withsecond prizes ranging from R3000 to
R5000 were:
· Best Female Worker – Masedi SA,
Lebapankwe
· Subsistence – 1st prize – Hanese
MD, 2nd prize – Maupye Poultry and 3rd
prize went to Bakgalaka 3 Women
· Small Holding – 1st prize –
Mokgakganchi, 2nd prize – Chumanko and
3rd prize – Mosaso; and
· For Commercial, the prize went to
Deonderwagesdrift
The adjudication criteria are the
Date; place event time
6 July Sekhukhune Land handover 14h00
10 July Mogwadi Farm petition 10h00
15 July LDA Mandela Day TBA
21 July TBA Mayors meeting 10h00
27 July Sandton Investor Conference 10h00
21-22 July PTA showground The black Farmers workshop
08 July - 14 July 2011 -Page 4
following: quality and quantity of products,
leadership, innovation, protection of natural
resources, cash flow and job creation
amongst others.
In her keynote address, Molemole
Municipality Mayor, Ms Paulina Makgatho
thanked participants. She said in agriculture
they have not gone wrong because the
economy in Limpopo heavily depends on
agriculture. She said women farmers should
hold on to farming and indicated that
Molemole Municipality would allocate
tractors to some of them.