“What should government do when it buys farms for the people and they do not want to work? Some of these people are not farmers; they got the land by accident.



“The government purchases farms and farm implements for our people, but they in turn do not utilise these appropriately. It pains me to see tractors transporting firewood instead of tilling the soil,” says Mr Wilson Ngobeni, farmer and manager of Masungi Trust Farm.

The 21 hectare Masungi Trust Farm was acquired in 2002 through the Government’s land reform programme. The beneficiaries are eight family members with only one male i.e. Mr Wilson Ngobeni. The main commodity is kumquat which at the time of print stood at 8 000 trees on 7.3 hectares. Three hectares have been set aside for cash crop production, whereas four hectares are used for pasture production.

Ngobeni says the market for kumquats is not a problem as they are exported to Europe especially Britain, Germany, Holland and Denmark with annual supply of not less than 45 000 2kg boxes. Nationally, they sell to Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria markets. However, the farmer says the choice of market depends on the price of a particular size; small, medium and large (sizes).  Kumquats are ideal for the beneficiaries as they are harvested from April to October since from January to March, the usual high temperatures in the area (Tarentaal-Letsitele) where the farm is situated have impact on the quality of produce.

According to the farmer, people can make a living from farming provided they are committed. It is no surprise that Masungi Trust Farm is the employer of 11 permanent workers and between 24 and 27 seasonal workers. He encourages black farmers to work hard and not to depend on government for everything. Ngobeni says farmers must utilise the land productively whether they acquired it through the land reform programme or from the tribal authority or have purchased on their own.  He attributes the trust farm’s success to the cooperation of the neighbouring white farmers that also allowed the trust membership to the predominantly white Houers Cooperative.    

“Real farmers are not lazy. The government must know that not all black farmers are failing. Some of us are trying our best. My advice to [new farmers] is that there are many fields in agriculture, therefore we must not all focus on one commodity. Secondly, when the product reaches the market; they do not look at the race of the farmer, but the quality of the produce,” he indicates.