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Food For Mzansi

Veil of secrecy over Motsepe’s billions for black farmers

by Duncan Masiwa
25th February 2021
in News
Reading Time: 7 mins read
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Billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe is the founder and executive chairperson of African Rainbow Minerals. Photo: GCIS/Flickr

Billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe is the founder and executive chairperson of African Rainbow Minerals. Photo: GCIS/Flickr

A veil of secrecy surrounds the multi-billion rand fund for up-and-coming farmers that was first announced by billionaire Patrice Motsepe nearly a year and half ago. Farmers are now turning to Food For Mzansi to ask whether the fund, which would have given them preferential access to loans, has ever materialised. Duncan Masiwa reports.

Motsepe announced the fund – a joint venture between the Motsepe Foundation and banks – during his keynote address at AFASA’s Agri-business Transformation Conference in October 2019 in Bloemfontein.

During the announcement, the founder and executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals told attendees that farming was at a critical stage.

MOTSEPE: Moments before Dr Patrice Motsepe, the founder and executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals, announced a multi-billion rand fund for black farmers. He is pictured with the late AFASA president Dr Vuyo Mahlati and chairperson Neo Masithela. Photo: Food For Mzansi
Moments before Dr Patrice Motsepe, the founder and executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals, announced a multi-billion rand fund for black farmers. He is pictured with the late AFASA president Dr Vuyo Mahlati and chairperson Neo Masithela. Photo: Food For Mzansi

“The involvement and participation of black people is important. There is a huge sense of urgency to make sure we have sustainable black farmers in the industry.”

At the time, Motsepe said that details of the fund would be announced soon, but 16 months later neither AFASA nor African Rainbow Minerals could confirm whether it was ever launched.

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Motsepe, the brother-in-law of President Cyril Ramaphosa, said that banks, agri-businesses and other industry role-players were joining forces to give black farmers access to finance and opportunities.

Another broken promise?

A farmer, who was among the nearly 200 delegates at AFASA’s three-day conference at Imvelo Safari, tells Food For Mzansi that she finds the secrecy around the fund rather strange.

The Gauteng-based farmer asked to remain anonymous.

“We don’t know what happened and we never received anything,” she says. “Until today there has been nothing. The waiting has been too long. I don’t know what’s happening in this country. People talk about big budgets and then the money disappears.”

Motsepe received a standing ovation for his announcement, which was attended by many high-profile government officials, including Free State premier Sisi Ntombela.

Over the course of the conference, both Thoko Didiza and Mcebisi Skwatsha, respectively the minister and deputy minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development, also made guest appearances. At the time, the late Dr Vuyo Mahlati was the president of AFASA.

“I don’t know what’s happening in this country. People talk about big budgets and then the money disappears.”

Promises, promises?

MOTSEPE: Deputy minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development Mcebisi Skwatsha and the late AFASA president Dr Vuyo Mahlati during the October 2019 conference. Photo: Food For Mzansi
Deputy minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development Mcebisi Skwatsha and the late AFASA president Dr Vuyo Mahlati during the October 2019 conference. Photo: Food For Mzansi

Whether the money actually materialised or not, could not be confirmed.

African Rainbow Minerals and the Motsepe Foundation has not responded to Food For Mzansi’s enquiries about it. Also, AFASA’s newly elected president, A.J. Mthembu, says he has no knowledge about it.

“I do not have any idea as to how that multi-billion rand (fund) from the Motsepe Foundation was dealt with,” he says.

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Mthembu adds that Mahlati, who was the chairperson of Ramaphosa’s panel on land reform and agriculture, and AFASA chairperson Neo Masithela “interacted with the project”.

Food For Mzansi also reached out to Masithela, but he too has not responded on numerous enquiries about the much-anticipated multi-billion rand fund.

ALSO READ: Motsepe announces multi-billion rand fund for black farmers

Farmers call for transparency

Meanwhile another farmer tells Food For Mzansi he understood from Motsepe that the fund would benefit all farmers, irrespective of their affiliation to AFASA.

MOTSEPE: Minister Thoko Didiza addressing the media during the AFASA Agri-business Transformation Conference in Bloemfontein in October 2019. Photo: Food For Mzansi
Minister Thoko Didiza addressing the media during the AFASA Agri-business Transformation Conference in Bloemfontein in October 2019. Photo: Food For Mzansi

This Free State farmer says, “Those who have been appointed to deal with the transformation and improvement of farmers must be held accountable.”

He calls for transparency from both AFASA and Motsepe.

“Stop telling us what you are going to do. Tell us what you have done. The AFASA people must just come forward and tell us what happened to the money. That’s it.”

An Eastern Cape dairy farmer, who was also at the conference, says he has already forgotten about the promised fund. “Besides, the amount of paperwork that a farmer has to do and then you never get the financial backing, it’s just not worth it.”

Listen: AFASA on the Motsepe billions

In October 2019, OFM’s Christal-Lize Muller spoke to AFASA chairperson Neo Masithela about the multi-billion rand fund announced by businessman Patrice Motsepe. During the interview, Masithela said that Motsepe would partner with AFASA’s to improve the livelihoods of black farmers over a period of ten years.
Tags: AFASAAfrican Farmers Association Of South AfricaAfrican Rainbow MineralsDr. Vuyo Mahlatifund for black farmersNeo MasithelaPatrice Motsepe
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Duncan Masiwa

Duncan Masiwa

DUNCAN MASIWA is a budding journalist with a passion for telling great agricultural stories. He hails from Macassar, close to Somerset West in the Western Cape, where he first started writing for the Helderberg Gazette community newspaper. Besides making a name for himself as a columnist, he is also an avid poet who has shared stages with artists like Mahalia Buchanan, Charisma Hanekam, Jesse Jordan and Motlatsi Mofatse.

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