daff2 july 2011 daffnews no. 7 editor piwe mbiko (012) 319 6936 [email protected] reporters thuli...

DAFFOfficial newsletter of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

July 2011

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2Departmental News

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Also in this issue:

Departmental News

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12Sector News

DPFO to assist and develop poultry farmers

Forests should be used for the lasting benefit of the nation

Limpopo Young Farmer of the Year awards

SACAU supports GM crops for Africa

Eastern Cape celebrates Nelson Mandela Day

Good-quality seed essential

Forestry recognised as one of the potential growth resources

World Day to Combat Desertification

Departmental News

Sector News

Departmental News

Departmental News

Sector News

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will intensify its efforts to establish 50 000 commercially-orientated smallholder farmers with greater focus on the former homelands and strive to create 130 000 jobs in its three sectors by 2014.

These were the sentiments of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson, while delivering

her ministerial NCOP Policy Vote in the National Assembly in Parliament, Cape Town.

Government has placed the issue of ru-ral development and land reform high on the agenda as one of the five Key Priority Areas along with that of health, education, economic growth and the fight against

By Percy Sepaela

to p 3

Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Minister of Agriculture, For-estry and Fisheries, with Mr Langa Zita, Director-General of Agriculture, For-estry and Fisheries, visiting the exhibi-tion after the Min-ister’s NCOP Policy Vote.

July 2011 DAFFnews No. 72

Editor Piwe Mbiko (012) 319 6936 [email protected] Thuli Dube (012) 319 7929 [email protected] Samuel Kgatla (012) 319 7181 [email protected] Innocent Mhlanga (012) 319 7827 [email protected] Rony Moremi (012) 319 6622 [email protected] Percy Sepaela (012) 319 6866 [email protected] Mercia Smith (012) 319 6666 [email protected] Willie de Jager (012) 319 6636 [email protected] Pam Sutherland (012) 319 7104 [email protected]

DAFFnews is the newsletter of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Private Bag X250, PRETORIA 0001. It is published by the Directorate Agricultural Information Services, Private Bag X144, PRETORIA 0001.

Opinions expressed in DAFFnews are not necessarily those of the editorial team. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without prior permission from the editor.

Departmental

As part of assisting developing farm-ers to enter the mainstream com-mercial poultry industry in all nine provinces, the Developing Poultry Farmers’ Organisation (DPFO) was of-ficially launched in the Sheraton Hotel, Pretoria recently.

DPFO is a division of the Southern African Poultry Association and was es-tablished to cater for the specific needs and requirements of emerging and small-scale commercial poultry producers. The formation of the DPFO started a dynamic process that will enable emerging poultry farmers, from previously disadvantaged communities, to finally move into the mainstream of the economy. This journey will gain great momentum now that some guaranteed funding through the levy is available.

The launch seeks to contribute to poverty alleviation, food security, job creation and grow the agricultural industry in South Africa. It also aims to be the organisation of choice for all emerging South African poultry farmers, with a dynamic capacity- building, training and advocacy role.

Speaking ahead of the campaign launch, one of the South African poultry farmers, Sipho Kamela of Ga-Moipone based in Tshwane, said as farmers they are facing many challenges such as diseases, finance, infrastructure and markets. “We need financial assistance because feed and other things are expensive. For us to get a big market, we must produce a big volume. Diseases cause mortality and when the chickens die, you lose a lot. As for me, I survive by buying chicklets and growing them. I don’t have my own

property, but am renting on other people’s farm,” said Sipho.

On the behalf of the Minister of Agricul-ture, Forestry and Fisheries, MEC for the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD), Ms Nandi Mayathula-Khoza said poultry farmers must be supported and served with dignity. She added: “These kinds of gatherings are crucial because people tend to share their experiences and challenges facing the farming industry. This association has to fulfil a dynamic role. The poultry sector continues to dominate with its products in the country. We have food in the country because of the poultry farmers’ contribu-tions. We commend poultry farmers for

By Samuel Kgatla

DPFO to assists and develop poultry farmers

creating job opportunities. That is the reason why the poultry industry is the larg-est contributing factor to food security in the country”.

She said the poultry industry can be successful if it is managed properly and conceded the fact that black farmers con-tributing to the poultry industry have not yet entered into the mainstream economy.

Meanwhile, Moses Modise has been appointed as the DPFO coordinator at SAPA. Other Executive Committee Mem-bers of DPFO include Elizabeth Ledwaba, Monde Dukashe, Thandi Masilela, Tammy Dlamini, Jake Mokwena, Penny Daly, Ephraim Mokhethi, Bong Kali, James Julius and Tumisang Mokwene.

No. 7 DAFFnews July 2011 3

Departmental

crime and corruption. Within this context, DAFF has been tasked with delivering on this mandate, focusing on government’s Outcome 7, that of creating vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural commu-nities and ensuring food security for all. The Ministry is also expected to deliver on Outcome 10—-as the custodian of forestry in the country—of protecting and enhancing our environmental assets and natural resources.

Delivering her policy vote, Minister Joe-mat-Pettersson said the agricultural sector has been identified as one of those with a potential to create massive job oppor-tunities within the context of the broader government policy as guided by the New Growth Path (NGP). “The NGP targets job opportunities for 300 000 households in agricultural smallholder schemes, plus a further 145 000 jobs in agro-processing, which will, in turn, have the potential to upgrade conditions for 660 000 farm workers by 2020,” said Joemat-Pettersson. She added that the focus will be on the former homelands where there is a large concentration of subsistence farmers and, working jointly with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, they will ensure support for smallholders, especially those on land acquired through the land reform programme.

The budget allocation for this Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) pe-riod is R4, 719 billion with 16, 5 % of these funds going towards administration costs. According to Joemat-Pettersson, major al-locations within this budget include R890 million for agricultural production, and R1,2 billion for food security and agricul-tural reform. An additional R190 million will be set aside for trade promotion and market access, R770 million for forestry and natural resource management and R324 million earmarked for the manage-ment of the fisheries sector. This budget will be spread among the provinces to

address their challenges, mostly unique in nature, to ensure massive agricultural production, local economic development and food security for all.

The department will continue assisting both smallholder and subsistence farm-ers through its programmes such as the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Pro-gramme (CASP), LandCare Programme and the Ilima/Letsema campaign, an ini-tiative aimed at encouraging self-sufficient agricultural production for hunger eradi-cation by cultivating household backyards and any piece of land lying fallow. It is undeniable that food security at household level has been hard hit by the general economic crisis of the past years.

Joemat-Petterson mentioned that in the financial year 2010/11, over 5 000 jobs were created as a result of support interventions through CASP, including pro-grammes on state land managed by her department. A financial grant of over R1 billion has been set aside for CASP to be distributed to all provinces in an effort to address the challenges facing small-scale

farmers. Furthermore, the department‘s target is to assist 15 000 smallholder farmers and small-scale foresters and fish-ers in the current 2011/12 financial year. She mentioned that close collaboration with the Department of Rural Develop-ment and Land Reform is critical if they are to elevate farmers from subsistence to smallholder level, and smallholders to commercial level.

The department is in the process of transforming the former Colleges of Agri-culture into national Agricultural Training Institutes (ATIs) and a comprehensive audit of these institutions is already complete. To this end, R50 million has been earmarked for dealing with the gaps identified by the audit in the transformation of the identi-fied twelve colleges. If the Minister’s vision for the three sectors in her portfolio as spelt out is anything to go by, the country should brace itself for a new trajectory in significantly transforming the industry for economic development, poverty allevia-tion, food security and an expedited land reform programme.

from p 1

Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, with Mr Mkhululi Mankazana, acting Deputy Director-General: Food Security and Agrarian Reform and on the right, Mr Langa Zita, Director-General of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries


Departmental

Recently the foresters at King William’s Town DAFF regional office attended a workshop that was aimed at refresh-ing their minds about National Veld and Forest Fire Act. The purpose of the workshop was also to build a capacity among the new employees, including interns about the National Veld and Forest Fire Act (NVFF Act).

The directorate: Regulation of Ms Sgwabe organised this workshop. Ms Sgwabe welcomed Ms Jennifer Lekalakala and Advocate George from Head Office Pretoria who came all the way to enlighten the foresters about the NVFF Act.

Forestry in South Africa is recognised as one of the potential growth resources because it contributes towards sustainable rural development and management of the country’s natural resources. Areas that have been identified for afforestation include Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpuma-langa and KwaZulu-Natal provinces to expand timber resources, minimise imports and optimise enterprise development and would further contribute towards employ-ment creation.

During the workshop the following topics were discussed by Ms Lekalakala.

Fire Protection Association•National Fire Danger Rating System•Responsibility of landowners•

Offences and penalties—enforcement.Ms Lekalakala explained the import-

ance of FPA (Fire Protection Association)as follows:

FPAs are community based natural •resources management organisa-tions for the collective management of veldfire using local knowledge within the framework provided by the NVFF Act.Veldfires often become emergencies •because they threaten lives and prop-erty where they have started or when they spread beyond the boundaries of any one’s properties.The municipalities are also encour-•aged to register with the FPA. Ac-cording to Ms Lekalakala not all

municipalities are registered with the FPA but the veldfire institutions want it to be compulsory for all municipalities so that they can be able to provide help to the municipal areas. Joining the FPA has its own benefits, which include “benefits of cooperation in fighting and preventing veldfire through veldfires management strate-gies developed by FPAs, cost saving by avoiding duplication of service, free access to research commis-sioned by the Minister, the decrease of veldfires and fire protection officers empowered to enforce the provisions of the Act and rules. The duties of Fire Protection Association include:The FPA develop and apply veldfire 1. management strategies for their re-spective areasThey make rules that are binding for 2. their membersThey train their members3. They support their communities in fire 4. readinessThe department’s DG may designate 5.

an officer or employee of the de-partment to serve as fire protection officer.

FPAs usually are in areas that have regular veldfires, risky weather conditions (wind) and have forests or grasslands. Climate is a link between fire and weather especially after a rainy season because the fuel load is usually high. South Africa has two fire seasons which is winter fire season in the summer rainfall areas and summer fire season in the winter rainfall areas. The veldfires in the changing climate need to be monitored through the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS). During rainfall fuel load increases, wind speeds up fires, temperature increases the dry matter (fuel) and high humidity retards combus-tion. The NFDRS is an early warning system that informs the public of the possibilities of high fire danger.

All provinces in the country have regis-tered with fire protection association and the rates are Limpopo-21, Gauteng-19,


By Omphemetse Molopyane

to p 5


Departmental

North West-13, Free State-58, Mpumalan-ga-11, Eastern Cape-36, Western Cape-17, Northern Cape-14 and KwaZulu-Natal-17. The total national number of FPAs is 206.

Advocate George presented the fire of-fences and the penalties. According to the National Veld and Forest Fire Act these cat-egories of offences. All these offences fall under civil and criminal cases. In the crimi-nal case the magistrate must first establish the intention of the person who committed the crime but with the NVFF Act there is no intention needed but negligence.

Category one offences are considered to be the most serious ones, for example when a person lights, uses or maintain fire in the open air. When the fire rating is high a person can be fined, be imprisoned for two years or both or when a person leaves a fire unattended before the fire is extinguished she/he can be fined or go to prison for one year. On both accounts if the person commits the same crime for the second time he or she can be fined, be imprisoned for two years of both.

Category two is the burning of firebreaks: if the owner on whose land a veldfire may have started or burn or spread and he fails to prepare and maintain a firebreak in his or her side of the boundary with adjoin-ing land he or she might be fined, get a one year in prison or both and on second conviction it will either be a fine, two years in prison or both.


The third category is for individuals par-ticularly the smokers. If it is believed that your negligence for example: dropping of a lit cigarette or burning rubbish, has led to a fire, you will be held responsible for the fire and any damage the fire might have caused. The penalty here is a fine or imprisonment for up to one year or both and for second conviction a fine or impris-onment for up to two years or both.

The workshop was attended by differ-ent directorates that included regulation, commercial and IFM. Even thought they are from different directorates, they all have a common enemy which is “fire”. The proposed fire danger rating categories are as follows

Fire danger rating categories

Blue• means insignificantGreen means low•Yellow• means moderateOrange• means high Red• means extremely high

Blue means insignificantGreen means lowYellow means moderateOrange means high Red mean extremely highMr Dinga from the Eastern Cape

thanked Ms Lekalakala and Advocate George for the time they took to come and educate them. He also asked that if it is possible next time they must arrange a week-long workshop where they will have enough time because they all felt like a day was not enough for all that.

Ms Lekalakala concluded the presenta-tion by forestry slogan which says “A match has a head but it cannot think. You can be sure your match is out’’.

to p 5


Departmental

In a mission to show support to stop desertification, the Department of Ag-riculture, Forestry and Fisheries joined the Department of Environmental Af-fairs in commemoration of the World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD) in Batlhabine Village outside Tzaneen, Limpopo.

In June the seventeenth anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was commemorated and it is observed as World Day to Combat De-sertification.

This year, the focus was on the forests in the dryland areas of the world, giving credence to the theme, “Forests keep dry-lands working”. Land degradation in the drylands, commonly known as desertifica-tion, begins with the clearing of vegetation, such as forests. If people protect forests, they are taking the first step towards heal-ing the drylands and protecting them from desertification and drought. Dry forests may therefore become the most important determining factor of the future sustain-ability of the drylands, as the impact of climate change escalates. Yet, only 18% of the drylands is forested.

The theme is also in line with 2011 having being declared as International Year of the Forests by the United Nations. The WDCD Day has been observed since 1995 to sensitise the public to the fact that desertification, land degradation and drought significantly affect biodiversity and therefore threaten human livelihoods.

There is a close relationship between livelihood and ecosystem well-being, and soils that are rich in biodiversity. Healthy soils produce life, and yet soil health depends much more on how individuals use their land. What we do to our soils determines the quality and quantity of the food we eat and how our ecosystems serve us. Our increasing ecological inter-dependence also means enhancing soils anywhere enhances life everywhere.

The Department of Environmental Af-fairs has invested in implementing the

Batlhabine Soil Conservation project by an allocation of R2,9 million since October 2006 with an additional budget of R6,6 million made available for continuation of the project until August 2011. The project resulted in the creation of 120 jobs for the locals.

Meanwhile, Dr Moshibudi Rampedi, DDG: Forestry, said land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry areas, known as desertification, is a special cause for concern. Drylands include those regions in which water scarcity limits the production of crops, forage, wood and other ecosys-tem services; this includes many parts of South Africa as well as Thlabine.

She urged Municipalities to continue encouraging tree planting wherever and whenever possible; the multiple uses of trees are well known.

“Tree planting, landscape restoration should add value to a better environment; it preserves our soils, improves water

World Day to Combat Desertification

By Samuel Kgatla

management in our fragile catchment areas and enhances food security, tree planting and maintenance is a job crea-tor and a mitigating effect against climate change”.

Moreover, she stated that forests and other natural resources are crucial to the livelihoods of millions of poor people in South Africa. “Forestry livelihoods is one area where people essentially use forest resources for their basic survival needs, termed “subsistence use”. Firewood, building poles, medicinal plants, and ed-ible fruit are all critical to the livelihood of the rural poor. For example, it is reported that over 80% of rural households use fuel wood as their primary source of energy and about 28 million people use tradi-tional plant medicine in South Africa.”

In her conclusion, she requested every-one to conserve forests, woodlands and trees outside forests and their biodiversity, including protected forest areas.

Land degradation in the drylands, commonly known as desertification, begins with the clearing of vegetation, such as forests.


Departmental

“Forests are managed for people and we need to create an enabling environment for economic and social development through sustainable for-estry, especially at the local level” this is the vision for Forestry.

The Eastern Cape regional Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries under Ms Sgwabe hosted a two-day workshop from 29 to 30 of March for foresters.

The aim of the workshop was to educate foresters about the National Forests Act and it is targeted at the new foresters and the new interns who have just joined the department. Other foresters also attended the workshop just to refresh their mind about the Act.

Assistant Director Shumani Dzivhani and Forest scientist Lerato Morudu from

Forests should be used for the lasting benefit of the nation


the National Head Office presented the course. This workshop does not only take place in the Eastern Cape, they do go to other provinces as well to enlighten forester about the Act.

By the end of the National Forestry Course the foresters must be able to know the following:

Understand the overall goals of the •NFA.Understand the main provision for •the use and protection of forests contained in the NFAUnderstand the role of DWAF and •other government departments in implementing of NFABe able to use the NFA to answer •basic questionsHave practice in problem solving, •using NFABe able to communicate better about •the NFA

Ms Dzivhani pointed out that foresters must always use the amendment when quoting an Act. She said it is important to quote the amendment because if a forester is being taken to court and does not men-tion it he/she might lose the case because of it. During the workshop foresters were given an exercise to do in groups just so to see if everyone understands the NFA Act. The exercise was of three questions which they had to answer quoting the Act.

The objectives of the NFA are:Forests should be used for the lasting •benefit of the nationTo promote a thriving forestry sector•Forests should be developed and •managed to protect the environmentIncreased participation in forestry by •previously disadvantaged groupsFoster a spirit of stewardship of forest •resources.


Provincial

Mr Alpheus Khakhu from Vhembe Dis-trict was crowned Limpopo’s Top Pro-ducer for National/Export Markets.

This happened during the province’s as-pirant Young Farmer of the Year awards at a glittering function held in ST Marco Hall, Polokwane on 23 June. For this achieve-ment, he scooped the highest amount, R150 000, during this 2011 awards cer-emony. These awards started in 2005 and were designed for young aspiring farmers in all Limpopo districts from the age of 18 to 35. They are annually celebrated during the youth month of June.

Khakhu, who grew up in a family were farming was a source of income, started farming in 2008 on a 31 ha farm and he produces tomatoes, butternuts, gem-squash, pumpkin, green pepper, onions and maize. He holds a National Diploma in Agriculture Management.

In this same category Khakhu was followed by Masoga Andrew Mabothe (Waterberg) and Lucky Mashimbye (Mopani) who won R120 000,00 and R90 000,00 respectively.

In other categories; Obrey Mabetha from Vhembe won R80 000,00 in the Top Producer for Informal Markets cat-egory, whereas the Top Producer for Household Consumption went to Patrick Ramatshimbila also from Vhembe, who received R40 000,00. Baleni Primary and Mokhulwane secondary schools from Mopani and Sekhukhune received R30 000,00 each as winners in the Top Primary School and Top Secondary School categories respectively. In these categories, first and second runners-up were awarded cash prizes ranging from R15 000,00 to R60 000,00.

After receiving this award, Khakhu said that he is planning to enter the export market. “I don’t believe that I have won this award. This will continue to motivate me to produce more crops. I want to thank my competitors because if they did not push me to where am, I wouldn’t have won this award”, said an ecstatic Alpheus.

The MEC for Agriculture in Limpopo, Ms Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba congratulated all the winners. Moreover, the MEC pleaded with all young farmers to bring some sugges-tions on how they can be developed.

“I’m excited to have led this depart-ment during this era especially with young people who are ready to do something for themselves. Seeing farmers at the age of 22 doing something for themselves and their communities makes me happy. We must go back and trace all the previous winners and see how they are doing and assist them where possible. This competi-tion will continue to run smoothly and in different style. The department will provide a better performance”.

She made young farmers glad by an-nouncing that the money for the awards will be increased to show support for what they are doing.

Limpopo Young Farmer of the Year awards

By Samuel Kgatla

MEC for Agriculture, Ms Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba.

MEC for Agriculture, Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba and HOD PROF. Edward Nesamvuni (in the back), together with the winners of the Aspirant Young Farmer of the Year Awards at ST Marco Hall, Polokwane.


Sector

The Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) has given the green light to boost GM crops in the region to ensure food security and alleviate poverty.

This decision was taken at its annual policy conference held in Vereeniging. The theme of the conference was “GMOs in agricultural development—perspectives of farmers in Southern Africa”. Leading agricultural experts addressed the con-ference.

SACAU currently has 14 members com-prising national farmers’ unions in South-ern Africa. Some 14 countries from the region attended the conference, including stakeholders from COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa), SADC (Southern African Development Community), the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, and AfricaBio. Since the conference, Mozambique has joined as a member.

Mr Ishmael Sunga, CEO of SACAU, said the conference ended on a very positive note in support of GMOs.

“Following the fruitful discussions we will enlighten our members in the region on how best to communicate our policies to farmers and interact with governments to endorse biotechnology. We will also work closely with COMESA, SADC and the Al-liance for a Green Revolution in Africa to achieve the best results,” said Sunga.

Benefiting farmersMarnus Gouse from the Department

of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development, University of Pretoria, one of the keynote speakers, said GM crops had significantly benefited both commercial and smallholder farmers in South Africa.

Farmers’ gross margins increased, which led to increased welfare and development of rural areas. As a result, farmers were better off. However, because of institu-tional failure, there were some cases where Bt adoption by smallholders did not lead to sustained development.

Up to 2008, increased farm income from GM crops for South African farmers was US$4.13 million for herbicide tolerant soya beans, as a result of saving on weed control inputs; Bt cotton US$ 21 million through saving on insecticides and more effective bollworm control that increased yields; and Bt maize US$ 476 million through yield increase as a result of more effective stalk borer control.

Bt cotton on the Makhathini Flats, KZN, was a technological triumph but an insti-tutional failure because of a lack of exten-sion services, ineffective markets, input credit problems and landownership.

In 1997, Bt cotton adoption was only by four farmers. In 2001 it shot up to over 3 000 farmers. Today there are ap-proximately 600 left, entirely as a result of institutional failure, specifically a lack of input credit availability.

Institutional failure“New GM technologies, Bt and Ht (her-

bicide tolerant) can overcome problems such as weeds and insects but not insti-tutional issues such as policies, politics, credit and market failure, which are to a certain degree the main limiting factors to agriculture in Africa. Africa missed the Green Revolution largely because of institutional failure,” said Gouse.

He added that, based on a 2002/03 food security impact study for Simdlanget-sha and Hlabisa in KZN, a smallholder farmer who planted 10 kg of Bt seed on average harvested 16% or 110 kg of grain more than conventional maize. If a household of seven people needed 14 x 80 kg of maize meal per year then a 110-kg yield increase meant 35 more days of food security.

Wally Green, acting CEO of Africa-Bio, said a point of great significance to Southern Africa—and one that policy makers and scientists should take serious note of—was that of the 15,4 million farmers worldwide in 2010 who adopted GM crops, 14,4 million were resource

poor smallholder farmers in developing countries who subsequently improved their livelihoods.

Progress slowThe majority of countries in the region

were not benefiting from the GMO tech-nology, even though it had been proven to increase yields, reduce pesticide applica-tions, raise incomes and deliver positive environmental benefits. In the case of insect control, protection is delivered in the seed, actively protecting the crop 24 hours a day during the active growth stages.

He added that progress in the region to develop national biosafety frameworks was slow.

“The best policy practices should be based on sound science and the current global experience of modern biotechnol-ogy. This is the responsibility of policy makers and the regulators within govern-ment structures. To exercise this responsi-bility they should consult with academics and regulators in countries that have commercialised transgenic crops,” said Green.

Enock Chikava, strategy and product management manager of Monsanto and president of the African Seed Trade Asso-ciation (AFSTA), said with the population explosion one hectare must by 2025 feed five people compared to two currently.

To meet this need AFSTA is making a major contribution towards sustainable agricultural development through the widespread use of high-quality seed tech-nologies and traits in Africa.

“We aim at maximising, protecting and enhancing yield so that farmers can get more out of each seed, which means more profitability. Modern biotechnology offers the options to meet food demands where traditional breeding techniques have not been able to solve these specific problems. We further recommend that SACAU become actively involved with WEMA (Water Efficient Maize for Africa),” said Chikava.

SACAU supports GM crops for Africa


Sector

During the time of struggle for free-dom Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was given an offer by the Boers. “If you can talk to black hooligans to stop the protest and the burning of tyres in the streets we will give you your freedom” and a proud Xhosa man replied and said “Andicingi, unotshe” meaning “I will never do that in a million years”.

On 18 July millions of people across the world united to celebrate the birthday of the South African legend Nelson Mandela, who was born and raised in the Eastern Cape Province. The 18th of July was de-clared by the UN General Assembly as an annual Nelson Mandela Day in 2009. The focus on this day is to recognise Madiba’s commitment to human rights, conflict reso-lution and reconciliation. In Eastern Cape the day turned out to be a success as many lives where change for the better.

The day was held at Matatiele in a small Fiva village. The village is situated in the middle of nowhere inside the mountains with no water, no electricity and with a frosty mountainous bad road.

Different government departments gath-ered at the village to support the event and enlightened the villagers about the services they are entitled to. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries was the main contributor at the event because they donated 80 trees. Acting Chief Director of DAFF regional office Mr N. Quvile gave the message of support and explained the amount behind the donated trees. “We have donated 67 trees because of the 67 years Nelson Mandela spent fighting for our freedom and we decided to add 13 more trees as and the additional years the Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries is wishing for him to live.

The trees where planted at three schools in the village, namely Phakade Junior Primary School, Bamanzi Junior Primary School and Sipepetho Junior Secondary School, where the main event was held. Other departments such as Department of Economic Affairs donated 13 and Alpha and Omega donated 10 vegetable types.

The mayoress NS Nkopane welcomed all the guests and thanked them for coming. Nel-son Mandela Day was such a blessed day in Fiva village as Nkosi Nosizwe Ludidi Non-yaniso from the Ludidi Tradi-tional Authority Council made her appearance wearing clothes made of animal skin.

Not only did the villagers benefit from the planting of trees. Impoverished families of 20 got the social relief from the Department of Social Develop-ment and they will receive that for the next three months and the South African Social Security Agency also donated groceries to 15 families. The Department of Public Works helped with the transportation of trees and the Correctional Services inmates helped to dig the hole where the trees were planted. There were also vegetable gardens planted to help alleviate poverty. The village of Fiva has many disad-vantaged people and the most-needed resource is water. Water is part of our daily living. At least the Department of Agriculture donated ten tanks of water and 31 rolls of fencing and poles for fencing of schools.

When you are in jail it does not mean it is the end of your life and the inmates from the Ladysmith correctional services proved that when they showcased their perform-ance by singing beautifully for Madiba and gave a touching birthday massage. It is amazing how Nelson Mandela touches the lives of the people in South Africa and abroad.

Chairperson of Portfolio for Transport , Ms Busisiswe Ndlangisa-Nodada, planted the first tree with DAFF acting re-gional director at King William’s Town Mr N Quvile.

Even though the event was a success the

villagers were waiting for their Premier, Ms Noxolo Kiviet, who made her appearance at the end of the event. Some will say better late than never but the way Fiva village is hidden by mountains one can say it is a good thing that the Premier came even if she was not part of the celebration as she had other commitments. At least she saw what the people of Fiva are facing on daily basis and hopefully she will do something about the condition in this village.

Nelson Mandela Day brought so many smiles to the faces of the people across the country. He holds a candle that shines brightly and he is not greedy not to share the light with other people and he did not choose who he shares his light with, be it

Eastern Cape celebrates Nelson Mandela Day


Premier of Eastern Cape Province Ms Noxolo Kiviet.

to p 11


Sector

black, white, coloured or Indian. Madiba has done so much for the

country and the 18th of July is not only his birthday but it is also his day to shine and this is where we South Africans and the entire country fit in and do our 67 minutes of helping the less advantaged as a token of appreciation to him.

The event could not have been much of a success without the help from different sponsors such as Super Spur, Rhino Cash and Carry, Built It, Cirrah Hardware, Afri-can Bank, Standard Bank, FNB and City Hardware.

On the 7th March 2002 Mandela said “take it upon yourself where you live to make people around you joyful and full of hope.”

People from different government departments helping in the vegetable garden at Sipepeto Junior Secondary school.

from p 10

Recently, a group of small cane grow-ers in Swayimane, an area near Wart-burg, each received their first payment for harvesting and selling their sugar cane to the nearby Noordsberg mill.

The KZN Midlands regional manager of the South African Cane Growers’ Associa-tion, Mr Brian Pearce, had the pleasure of handing over the cheques to thirty-eight farmers.

Mr Pearce said, “We are very proud that the growers have each established a high financial income for this harvest. This can continue to generate steady income if the growers are willing to con-tinuously contribute the same amount of energy and determination to their next batch.”

Noordsberg Cane Growers’ Develop-ment Trust supported by Lima as imple-mentation agents, obtained R5,5 million worth of funding for KZN in 2008, which allowed the launch for the Swayimane group farming project. Noordsberg Cane Growers’ Development Trust as well as SASSA helped the growers with initial loan funding access, approved via Nedbank, which ensured a structured fi-nancial system was put into place in order

for this small-scale business to grow. Thokozani Buthelezi, an agricultural

manager at Lima believes that “the suc-cess of this initiative came from moving the focus away from assisting individual farmers to helping groups; this helped to overcome issues of farm size and overhead costs.”

Thokozani also added that the participants have clearly mas-tered the skills for growing sugar cane because out of the 53 ha of cane planted at Okhasini area; 47 ha have been harvested. The success of this project would not have been possible without the help of Musa Mdunge, an Agricultural Technician from the Department of Agriculture, who helped transfer farming skills to the growers at workshops hosted on a regular basis.

The participants were grateful to Nedbank, Noordsberg Cane Growers’ Development Trust, Lima, Gijima KZN, Department of Agriculture and SA Cane Growers Association for support-ing them throughout the initiative.

With the right degree of willpower, proper agriculture expertise and the helping hand of a few organisations, these par-ticipants may very well reap what they had sown in the succeeding years.

Cane growers reap their rewards


Sector

The third phase of Monsanto’s techno-logically advanced maize seed plant in Lichtenburg was recently opened by Mr Kobus Lindeque, area Director of Monsanto in Africa.

The plant, known as Thobontle (Set-swana for “great harvest”), was enlarged to supply excellent quality maize seed to farmers.

The new phase comprises a storing facil-ity of 220 by 36 m and approximately 140 000 bags of maize seed (25 kg each) can be stored. There is also a new cold store of 4 000 sq metres where 4 000 bags of maize can be stored under 15 degrees Celsius.

The plant further contains the latest grain-drying and laboratory research fa-cilities. The drying facility is able to handle

A new farmers’ market opened in Pietermaritzburg, supported by R3.5m in funding from the National Devel-opment Agency (NDA), and has been lauded as a true development for the disadvantaged. The Chief Executive Of-ficer of the NDA, Ms Vuyelwa Nhlapo, officially opened the Newport Fruit and Vegetable Fresh Produce Market in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, generating jobs, sustainable income for the area, and wholesale produce to the locals.

“Newport Market is a solution to the emerging farmers’ problem of market ac-cess. We had more and more NDA funded initiatives that were unable to grow and sustain themselves after the NDA funding has run out. We realised that the same problems were affecting other small and emerging farmers; hence we are opening this market today to address the issue of market access. I am happy to report that there are over 40 farmers that are ready to bring their fresh produce as from today,” said Mrs Nhlapo.

The Newport Market will service the emerging farmers from the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. It has a database of farmers from the Midlands and further. These farm-ers will get advice on what to plant and when to plant based on market demand from the Newport Market personnel. This approach will play a major role in the eradication of poverty and creation of much needed jobs.

The NDA gave the Newport Market Cooperative a grant to the amount R3, 5 million. The grant went towards leasing the market building, shopfitting with new equipment and training, administrative costs and stipends for the Cooperative members, securing of stock and hiring a mentor, Mr Mark Elliot, from Peter and Co. who has been guiding the Cooperative from the beginning of the project.

This initiative has further economic ben-efits for the people in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Apart from the emerging farm-ers who now have access to the market, over 25 people will be hired to work at the

Newport Market fulltime. The consumers will be getting fresh produce without pay-ing an arm and a leg as there will be no middle man to facilitate the trade.

“We are pleased with how the NDA has assisted us from the beginning of the project to where it is now. This is what we consider true development for the previ-ously disadvantaged. We are proud of what we have achieved and are commit-ted to making a success of this business,” said Mr Muhle Sibisi, Chairperson of the Newport Market Cooperative.

The NDA CEO also pleaded with the business community to support this mar-ket, situated on 397 Langalibalele Street, Pietermaritzburg, to ensure long-term sustainability and creation of employment in the area.

New market for KZN emerging farmers

320 tons of maize cobs with leaves daily. The leaves are removed on-site and the maize on the cob is dried to the desired temperature.

In the laboratory a large number of scien-tific tests are performed to determine genetic purity, viability and the correct seed character-istics.

“Monsanto’s aim is to provide food to all people in a sustainable manner and good-qual-ity seed is the origin of all food,” says Mr Kobus Lindeque.

Good-quality seed essential

daff2 july 2011 daffnews no. 7 editor piwe mbiko (012) 319 6936 [email protected] reporters thuli...

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