While investigations into alleged fruitless and wasteful expenditure associated with the Presidential Employment Stimulus Initiative (Pesi) programme are underway, the department of agriculture, land reform, and rural development has announced that farmers who have not yet redeemed their vouchers are no longer be able to do so.
Farmers across the country have been voicing their concerns and seeking clarity regarding the status of the Pesi programme. Many are questioning whether the programme is still operational or if it has been suspended.
In an interview with Food For Mzansi, Reggie Ngcobo, spokesperson for the department, confirmed that the Pesi programme has closed. However, farmers with unredeemed vouchers still have time to redeem their vouchers.
“Pesi is not open as it closed last time,” Ngcobo said. “Farmers who still have their vouchers can still redeem until the 8 March, except for the Eastern Cape which will close on 11 March 2024.”
Frustrated farmers
Since its inception in December 2020, the programme has posed significant challenges for subsistence and small-scale farmers, as well as input suppliers.
Issues plaguing the programme include instances of double charging, undelivered vouchers, exclusions of certain products, and suppliers refusing to sell to voucher holders.
Jabaroo Kula is among the more than 500 000 farmers who, despite their initial excitement at qualifying for the voucher, quickly became frustrated with the prolonged and occasionally unfair process.
Kula farms with chillies and green peppers in Bloemfontein, Free State and told Food For Mzansi he experienced significant delays in getting his voucher. Also, he did not get the inputs he required.
“The items I actually required were not available. When I got to the designated shops, I found that my choices had already been made for me. Some of these items were of no use to me,” Kula said.
Contrary to the advertised process where farmers were supposed to have the freedom to select their preferred items, Kula lamented that he had no choice but to accept what was allocated to him.
Department cancels vouchers
According to the department, the vouchers were valid for 30 days after being issued. The batch of vouchers expired on 25 January 2024.
Qeda Nyoka, the acting director for subsistence farming in the agriculture department, said whenever vouchers expired in the previous phase of the Pesi programme, they made sure to inform beneficiaries when it had been extended.
In the case of the vouchers for 2022, the department extended them approximately four times, Nyoka said. However, by 31 January 2023, the department cancelled the vouchers of those individuals who had not used them.
“We believe that those people who had those vouchers and who did not redeem them, they did not need it. There was no way that we would keep the project running because people are not redeeming the vouchers,” Nyoka said.
Alleged misappropriation of funds
During a recent parliamentary session where the department presented their 2022/23 annual reports, significant concerns were voiced regarding the department’s alleged fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
The auditor-general of South Africa (AGSA) shed light on audit outcomes, revealing that a substantial R234 million was under investigation for redeemed Pesi vouchers.
In response to these findings, the department is said to have taken proactive steps by reporting the matter which implicated senior officials within the department. Investigations are underway.
Correction: This article has been updated. The department initially stated that farmers with unredeemed vouchers could no longer redeem their vouchers. This is not the case. The text has been amended.
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