If you’re one of those people who always just assumed that agriculture didn’t have a place in Gauteng, you better not cross swords with Mbali Hlophe, the newly-appointed MEC for social development, agriculture, rural development and environment in the province.
Yes, despite her massive portfolio, she is on a mission to change perceptions about agriculture. In an exclusive interview with Food For Mzansi she says, “We want to make sure that Gauteng stamp its authority in terms of agriculture, but also grow in agro-processing.”
Last month, Hlophe was appointed by the province’s new premier, Panyaza Lesufi, following a political shake-up. Lesufi says the move to combine the departments of agriculture, rural and social developments was to better respond to the social ills faced by people.
Hlophe is certainly up for the challenge. She tells journalist Tiisetso Manoko that Gauteng’s economy can be revived by working the land. And she has got big dreams to transform some of the townships in Africa’s economic hub into farmlands.
You have hit the ground running since your appointment early in October 2022. How are you settling in as a new MEC with such a diverse portfolio?
It has been great. As you know, premier Lesufi has combined the two departments, so it has been very interesting to get the two departments to work together, understanding that primary to the work that they need to do, is to answer the issue of food security in the province.
People [have come to know the] department of social development to be [just] about [giving] out food parcels. The challenge that we face is that we got agriculture on the other side. We need to massify and make the two departments work together as part of bringing about social economic development. Giving out food parcels is not sustainable, but empowering people to create their own food is where agriculture becomes critical as they are able to feed themselves for a lifetime.
Your move, some say, signals the dawn of an exciting new era for agriculture in Gauteng. What’s on top on your priority list as the new bigshot in this portfolio?
Top of my priority list is to really get agriculture out there, so that our people do not see it as something for the homelands or rural areas, so when people come to Gauteng, they view themselves as advanced and they think of agriculture as the thing of yesterday when it is not. Agriculture is the future. We all eat every day.
It is a thriving sector in the economy. During Covid-19, agriculture remained resilient. It only makes sense to have as many people involved [as possible]. We will be focusing on townships, informal settlements and hostels, so that we can get individuals who can start their own projects and be sustainable in food security.
We want to get young people on board because Gauteng has a youthful population, so that they can see there are huge prospects within the sector. [They need to] integrate technology. We have seen lovely examples of people doing farming on rooftops, and it is an exciting space to be in. I could not be happier.
Some farmers are a bit sceptical, though, about the potential impact of having combined the two departments. They worry that it might actually be a blow for food security. What is your message to the farming community?
They must be very positive. In fact, this is the best move that the provincial government could have taken. If you consider that the department of social development has given out food packs – that is a huge market, so when you speak of market access for farmers, it only make sense that coupled with agriculture you will have producers being given an active market.
Before we can speak to the big markets in terms of retailers, we are saying, ‘Let us tap into the market that government services daily such as your hospitals, policing centres.’ We begin there and continue to build our relationship with the private sector.
Infrastructure remains a concern for many Gauteng farmers. Poor roads and lack of access to water hampers the growth of especially small-scale farmers. What measures are being put in place to mitigate these challenges?
It is a huge challenge, and it is not only Gauteng. It is countrywide. As you know, we’ve got electricity problems, and water shortages. These are the issues we are dealing with not just as a province, but also municipalities and national government.
We do sit with ministers of the concerned departments in a [special] forum [to address some of the pressing concerns.]
When you look at agriculture and advancement with time, issues such as land and availability of water are becoming a thing of the past because now technology is now allowing us to grow more with very little land or even water usage, so we are going to be integrating a lot of technology in the sector while dealing with other bigger issues.
What is your vision of agriculture in Gauteng in the next 18 months before the provincial and national elections?
Go big, to absolutely going big. Food security is a big thing for us. If people are sleeping without food or they must worry about whether they will have a meal the next day… And more concerning, the young people… We really want to make agriculture more fashionable and have people move to this space.
There is a lot of land that is available – especially in our townships. Some of that pieces of land are being used as dumps to throw rubbish away, so we really want to transform all those different land parcels and utilise those as avenues for agriculture.
Agriculture will no longer be regarded as [just] one of those corner sectors in the province. We want to make sure that Gauteng stamp its authority in terms of agriculture, but also grow in agro-processing. So, watch this space…
ALSO READ: Gauteng, E Cape premiers have high hopes for cannabis
