The Barokologadi Communal Property Association (CPA) has achieved remarkable milestones since regaining ownership of 26 000 hectares adjacent to the renowned Madikwe Game Reserve in North West. Their success story challenges the common narrative of unsuccessful land reform programmes.
Reports of once productive land lying fallow when it is reallocated to claimant communities often characterise the discourse on the land reform programme. The resounding success achieved by the Barokologadi CPA provides a success template and playbook for failed and yet-to-be-finalised land claims across the country.
Setting the foundation
Amos Setou, general manager of the Barokologadi CPA, credits a clear growth plan for the success of this land reform project.
“Having a clear plan for the community provided a foundation for the coordinated strategic development efforts that needed to take place on the farm to ensure that the restored land benefitted our people – the Barokologadi ba ga Maotoe community,” he said.
According to Setou, when the CPA held its first annual general meeting in 2007, it decided to formulate measured plans on how the community would harness the potential of its restored land, especially given the location of the land adjacent to the Madikwe Game Reserve, one of the biggest nature reserves in the country.
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“This decision played a big role in the subsequent actions that needed to be taken to solicit resources to kickstart projects to help put the land to use,” Setou said.
To plug the resources and competency gaps, the CPA approached a non-profit organisation assisting communities in land reform, Vumelana Advisory Fund, to assist them in identifying a partner to enable them to begin working on their land.
The Barokologadi CPA is among the 26 land reform beneficiaries that Vumelana has successfully assisted in facilitating partnerships with private investors to enable the community to put their land to productive use. In turn, they generate profits, create employment, and gain access to skills, resources and markets through such partnerships.
Setou said the growth and development plan that the community and the CPA developed, outlined clear goals of promoting job creation, income generation, and economic development on the restored land of the Barokologadi ba ga Maotoe community.
In line with the growth plan, the CPA established a skills development centre in Pitsedisulejang village, the Basebo Training Institute. Since its establishment three years ago, the centre has enrolled 130 young people from the Barokologadi villages and surrounding areas on year-long end-user computing learnership programmes.
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Navigating rough seas
Setou concedes that though the CPA has made substantial strides in developing the land, the organisation has had to contend with challenges that threatened to derail its work.
Co-management agreement and profit sharing was one of the major hurdles, in addition to other disruptive activities such as encroachment by neighbouring community members, legal battles, and disruptive interruptions to their ongoing projects.
“We are currently facing another challenge regarding the transfer of the transferable portion of Eerstepoort 136 farm. This particular farm, which was returned to CPA in 2007, has a significant portion occupied by Molatedi Dam. Since 2007, the CPA has been actively engaging with the department of agriculture, rural development and land reform as well as the department of water and sanitation to discuss the transfer of the portion that is not occupied by the dam.
“To address this challenge, a detailed letter has been prepared, providing a comprehensive background and explanation of the situation, which will be sent to the agriculture, rural development and land reform minister,” Setou said.
Despite these challenges, Setou remains optimistic and says that the success they have achieved thus far motivates them to achieve even greater things. He says that they are not resting on their laurels, and they are looking forward to the next chapter of their success story where they have lined up new and exciting projects.
Some of the projects that are in the pipeline include developing game lodges in Melorane village, implementing crop farming projects, initiating more income-generating projects and expanding the skills development projects.
“This remarkable accomplishment has aroused a mix of emotions for the elderly, who carry profound memories of the past that can never fade away,” Setou said.
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