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

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.”