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The multi-million rand government funded Mantusini Dairy Project near Port St Johns, that was promoted as an empowerment project to uplift hundreds of poor local households, has been closed.

On Wednesday, 31 July 2024, I conducted an oversight inspection at the project and was shocked to find that vandals have laid waste to buildings and destroyed equipment, while the remainder of the cattle have been removed from the farm.

The National Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development funded the project that was started in 2005 on 373 hectares of communal land. Since then, R43 million has been pumped into the now collapsed project.

The project was supposed to benefit 500 individual households under communal tenure. The farm was to be self-sustainable but poor planning, and a lack of oversight and support from the government led to disaster. Hundreds of cows died due to a lack of feed and the government failed to provide the emerging farmers with any technical or financial support.

I have written to the Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen MP, to request that he investigates what led to this collapse to assist beneficiaries, as this project was meant to alleviate poverty and create job opportunities for the local community.

The DA requests of the Minister’s office to:

• Investigate the project to establish why the Mantusini Dairy farm has been closed.
• Investigate why the project failed.
• Hold those who are responsible for the failure to account.
• Investigate the possibility of implementing another project to assist and uplift the community.

Over the last 10 years beneficiaries tried their best to ensure the project’s success but were faced with numerous obstacles including the disconnection of their electricity due to non-payment, a lack of mowers and balers to stockpile feed for the cattle, and the non-availability of dip to treat the cattle for ticks and other parasites.

The project must be revived, or another project implemented to benefit the community and lift the people of Mantusini out of poverty and into prosperity.

Issued by Heinrich Muller MPL - Shadow MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform