The launch of Mpumalanga PALS is not only a major step for land reform in South Africa, but also builds the stability of the province.
This is the view of Tommy Ferreira, a farmer and chairperson of Mpumalanga Agriculture, about the launch that kicked off at the Mbombela stadium moments ago.
PALS – an acronym for Partners in Agri Land Solutions – is a private land reform initiative that was first established in 2015 by farmers in the Witzenberg district of the Western Cape. The Witzenberg model has since been rolled out to other parts of the country, including the launch of Maluti Farming PALS in the eastern Free State.
Ferreira tells Food For Mzansi that the Mpumalanga agriculture sector has welcomed the PALS initiative because it is built on sound economic principles.
He says, “It is about partnerships with new commercial farmers who can bring about economic growth in [the province] and thus create jobs and alleviate poverty.”
A national movement
Many of Mzansi’s top agriculturists have been invited to speak during the Mpumalanga PALS launch, currently live-streamed. This includes Piet Potgieter, manager for developing agriculture at VKB, as well as Pierre Vercueil, the recently-retired president of Agri SA.
Momentum is building nationally, says Potgieter, who was also the co-host of the For the love of the land TV series on both DStv and e.tv. “First Witzenberg, then Maluti and now also Mpumalanga. Meanwhile, SA PALS has also been formed which coordinates the initiative [overall].”
Potgieter describes PALS as an inclusive structure.
“PALS is an initiative where both commercial and developing farmers have come together. In the first place, it improved local-level relations and became a platform for farmers who wanted to become involved in land reform in specific areas. PALS creates an environment where partnership formation and collaboration can flourish.”
In the Witzenberg district alone, 82 such farming projects have been formed, explains Potgieter.
“These are large businesses in which new farmers then take part. It works wonders for new farmers’ state of mind, self-esteem, well-being and prosperity. Some of the businesses in this area are doing very well.
“In the PALS model, knowledge is also transferred – not only among the farmers, but also by the private sector. Many of the projects that are doing well now were once failed government projects.”
From politics to sustainability
This is confirmed by Rossouw Cillié, the owner of Laastedrif Boerdery in the Ceres district.
He describes the PALS project, initiated by Gerrit van Vuuren and Ceres farmers, as a brilliant idea.
“It brings a lot to the table in terms of land reform. It makes us part of the solution and not the problem. It builds partnerships between labour and the farm, and it is growing at an enormous rate. A lot of schoolwork has already been paid for, but what is happening is bearing very good fruit in the agricultural industry.”
Mpumalanga PALS has the support and endorsement of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (Afasa), confirms the organisation’s secretary-general, Nakana Mosaka, in an interview with Duncan Masiwa.
Mosaka says, “We support PALS because it bridges the divide. It tramples on a bad history. It lights a torch on a bright future. With PALS, black and white farmers come together, plan together, share knowledge and experience and work together towards the development of a district.”
Agri SA executive director Christo van der Rheede says, “This is an incredibly well-structured programme that aims to bring about land reform on a sustainable basis.
“The Mpumalanga PALS initiative is an incredible opportunity for commercial agriculture as well as developing farmers to join hands and start walking a path together. One cannot do without the other.”
Van der Rheede says that for too long has agriculture been allowed to be used as a political plaything.
“That is why initiatives such as Mpumalanga PALS and other initiatives from various organisations are critical. It shifts the focus from politics to commercial and sustainable farming and establishes a new generation of farmers, particularly black farmers.”
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