Land Invasion South African style

DISGRUNTLED land-reform beneficiaries have invaded a farm near Malelane in Mpumalanga, ousting its managers and assuming control of the farm workers and the running of the farm. (from the Business Day)

The 3200ha farm, Foroma, is part of Tenbosch, a R10bn land-restitution project, SA’s biggest by value. It is one of several farms handed back to four communities who lost their land under apartheid legislation since 1923. In Tenbosch, farming had slowed down on some of the farms. (Slowed? They mean to say the farm has slipped into subsistence farming)

Agribusiness Umlimi, which controls the joint-venture farm management company Makhombo for the Lugedlane community, has confirmed the land invasion, saying a group of people armed with knives and machetes arrived on Foroma last Thursday, threatened managers and seized control of the farm.

The invasion of Foroma farm comes among other indications that the Tenbosch project, the government’s showcase land restitution project, is beginning to fall apart.

Attorney Richard Spoor said the trustess had entrenched themselves by selling membership to the community and then setting up what amounted to pyramid schemes, which paid out unsustainable dividends to cronies.

Although there has been no profit so far, Makhombo pays "the community" about R180000 a month in rental.

Through Makhombo, Umlimi has disbursed about R3,5m to Mjejane Trust on behalf of the Lugedlane community in the past three years, but none of the income was passed on to the community, the group of concerned community members allege. (We want the farm, we want the money, we want the car, we want the edukation, we want the health care, we want...)

Food for Votes.... follow the leader - Zanu-PF..

The ANC is enticing voters with food parcels — using taxpayers’ money.

The Sunday Times has established that ruling party councillors and representatives have been accompanying officials from the Department of Social Development in dishing out food parcels since February, declaring that the largesse is from “an ANC-led government”.

The electoral code of conduct states that it is an offence to offer a reward to a person to vote in a particular manner.

“They wore their ANC T-shirts and told us that the food was from the ANC, and that we should vote for the ANC if we want to get more parcels in the future,” said Sheila Xasa, a domestic worker from CC Lloyd township, East London.

A Gauteng recipient said they were told to vote for the ANC because it would continue to give them food and services. The woman, from Diepkloof, Soweto, said they were told they would starve to death if they did not vote for the ANC. “If you know what is right for you, you will vote for the winning party,” people were told while standing in queues, the woman said.

The party officials dishing out the parcels gave preferential treatment to those wearing ANC paraphernalia.

“We know that strategy; they want us to vote for them. After the elections they will disappear. It’s food for votes. They know that we are hungry, so they target our stomachs."

The ANC has clearly learned from the Zanu-PF and their long standing tradition of buying votes from starving poor people with food. Of course it's time to play stupid....

"ANC spokesman Jessie Duarte emphatically denied the party was buying votes with food, but indicated that “it was true” that parcels were coming from an ANC-led government.

“The fact of the matter is that the ANC-led government will continue to provide social assistance,” she said.

But the IFP, DA, UDM and COPE have accused the ANC of abusing the social distress relief grants. NGOs, including the Black Sash, have also condemned the practice.

The Black Sash’s Sarah Nicklin said it was “one of the lowest, most unscrupulous forms of electioneering, especially when it leads to a scramble for food and the death of vulnerable people in need”.

Lindiwe Sisulu and the truth

Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has been heading up an ANC "task team" on Jacob Zuma's "Legal Affairs" and spoke to the Mail and Guardian.

Wasn't the case won on a technicality?
No - the truth is indivisible. The NPA had to get the point across that although their process was flawed they at least had a solid case.

The Truth is Indivisible? What does that mean?
The Truth is Inadvisable, The Truth is Incredible
The Truth is Jacob Zuma is Guilty


This is not an acquittal. Aren't future charges possible?
This matter is over. Finish and klaar.

What about a private prosecution?
Once this decision to withdraw charges has been confirmed by the court, how can anyone challenge the decision? On what basis would this not amount to an acquittal? If this is not an acquittal, then I will have to revisit my bush law degree.

The head of the ANC's Legal team looking into the legal affairs of Jacob Zuma has a bush law degree. They don't do private prosecutions in the bush you know. Getting your legal advice from someone with a law degree from the bush is like getting your financial advice from Pollsmoor Prison Golf Driving Range! No wonder the housing crisis just gets worse and worse year after year.... it's cause Stupid is in charge.

A Special kind of Special

Convicted fraudster Maurice de Grandhomme an "investment adviser", was a sentenced prisoner when he was in charge of a kiosk and acted as an informal instructor at Pollsmoor Prison's golf driving range, where he enticed "investors". (from IOL)

de Grandhomme was found guilty of two alternate counts of theft, eight of fraud and seven of contravening the Companies Act in his trial for fraud and money laundering involving about R6-million. (from IOL)

Tourist Mariana Fergusson lost R300 000 (from IOL)

de Grandhomme apologised to his victims while asking the Wynberg Regional Court for leniency in the passing of his sentence.

His apologies were met by snorts of derision from people in the public gallery.

Snort's of derision? Insert loud laughter here! So where exactly do you go for you financial advice? Oh, Pollsmoor Prison driving range. The public clearly have rocks for brains. It's a good thing I wasn't in that court because these people deserve to lose their money. They are too stupid to have money.

Agriculture Minister siezes two farms

Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana this week put the "use it or lose it" principle into action and seized an ostrich farm from land restitution beneficiaries. (From Business Report)

"Land must be fully utilised … no farm must be allowed to lie fallow," Xingwana said in Hammanskraal outside Pretoria in a speech released to the media yesterday.

She visited the ostrich farm on Wednesday and lamented its deterioration since it was sold to the department in 2007 for R3.5 million and then leased to Phaphamang Ma-Africa for R168 000 per annum.

"Of the 77 ostriches originally on the farm, only 57 could be accounted for. Several of the birds were limping and they were in a chronic condition (and) would therefore probably not respond to treatment.

"It is also important to note that despite all these support systems, it is apparent to me that the beneficiaries are not passionate about farming."

She said equipment had been sold, tools were missing and the once-viable restaurant had been stripped of all chairs and tables. (Sounds a bit like Zimbabwe!?)

The Gauteng farm Yzervarkfontein was taken back by the government as no productive farming had taken place on it since 2007, the Department of Land Affairs said today. (SABC)

Eddie Mohoebi, a department spokesperson, said the farm on the East Rand was taken back from Veronica Moos under the "Use it or Lose it" campaign. The farm was acquired by government for R1.7 million and was subsequently leased to Moos for R2 000 per annum.

Moos was given a further R200 000 infrastructural grant to do some electrical work and acquire equipment but when government inspected whether it was being used, it discovered that Moos had sub-leased it. "One of the elements of land reform is the State has the right to terminate the lease if there is no productive farming on the land," Mohoebi said.

During the visit, the minister said government would take back at least five more farms in Gauteng, the Free State and the Eastern Cape. A task team was traversing the country to evaluate farms allocated to black farmers to determine if they were productive.

(One farm is bought for R3.5 million and is then leased for R14000 per month. Another farm is bought for R1.7million and it is leased for R2000 per month!? How does that make sense? Hau!)

Number of farms in use falls by 13%

The number of farms in active production fell by 12.7 percent to fewer than 40 000 in the five years to 2007, Statistics SA said yesterday. Agriculture experts attributed the decline to consolidation while discounting a government view that food producing land was being bought up for golf courses and game farms. (from Business Report)

The reduction in active farming units by 5 836 between financial 2002 and 2007 continued a trend in the R79.5 billion commercial farming sector, the agricultural census showed. In 1993 there were 57 980 farms.

John Purchase, the chief executive of the National Agricultural Business Chamber, said small farms were generally less financially viable. There was a tendency for farmers with bigger land holdings to buy up smaller farms.

The move to better economies of scale was a way to improve productivity in a country struggling to compete globally.

Purchase did not necessarily accept that game farms were less economically productive.

In 2007 South Africa became a net importer of agricultural products for the first time in more than 20 years as local food output failed to keep pace with a growing population, according to the National Agricultural Marketing Council.

Jacob Zuma Guilty

South Africa is suffering from another mass delusion. Many aren't buying into it, but many are.

African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma was officially free of his corruption charges on Tuesday.

The High Court in Durban endorsed a decision taken by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to drop the 16 charges against the presidential frontrunner, who was seen smiling as the decision was confirmed. (from the Mail and Guardian)

Jacob Zuma is guilty of fraud and corruption. There I said it. Will he challenge that statement. Would he challenge it in court? Really? When we all KNOW he is guilty? Here is the case against Jacob G Zuma.

The NPA's acting head, Mokotedi Mpshe on Monday that the 16 charges would be dropped due to the alleged abuse of process by the former head of the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO), Leonard McCarthy.

Mpshe was quick to point out that dropping the corruption charges did not amount to Zuma's acquittal.

His decision was not based on the actual merits of the case.

"It does not amount to an acquittal ... Mr McCarthy's conduct offends one's sense of justice. It would be unfair as well as unjust to continue with the prosecution," Mpshe said at a press briefing.

I refuse to pretend that the "interference" in any way made it impossible for Jacob Zuma to have a fair trial. Evidence of this interference will never be tested in court. It's like producing a single untested piece of evidence which hints at innocence is enough to halt the prosecution. The fact that the NPA had to do a legal dance to get the information in front of them. I just wonder how that evidence could be led before a court of law. Who deposes to it? In fact not one instance of the alledged "interference" prejudiced the actual case against Mr Zuma.

ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe on Monday said there were "good reasons" why the Zuma prosecution had to end: "Comrade Zuma has suffered undue prejudicial delay which renders a fair trial impossible." Undue prejudicial delay?! When Jacob G Zuma has fought the prosecution at every turn to the highest court in the land he can get off because of delay?

Some of the ANC's provincial leaders waiting for Zuma outside the court included provincial health minister Peggy Nkonyeni, who shouted "free at last, free at last". Nkonyeni also faces corruption charges, related to the procurement of medical equipment, and is out on bail. (No I am not making this up)

(Prediction - Jacob Zuma will wish that he still had his day in court.)

Bail out African Style

Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders on Monday approved a Zimbabwean reconstruction plan of up to US$8,5-billion (about R82-billion). (from IOL)

SA foreign minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma stressed though that SADC governments would not raise most of the money themselves. (Classic stuff!!! Put together a "bail-out" plan, but hope "someone else", the "international donor community" will pay)

SADC would try to mobilise it from international donors and international financial institutions. She said the summit had agreed that the SADC governments would each decide over the next weeks what they could afford to give. (And all of a sudden our government finds that it's not so keen to just waste money by pouring it into Zimbabwe with no hope of ever recouping it)

Zimbabwe's $5 billion (about R50 billion) short-term economic recovery plan unveiled this week appears certain to fail unless the rule of law is urgently restored, as demanded by international donors. (also from IOL)

A senior International Monetary Fund official told a meeting of civic organisations: "We can't just step in and shore up the budget. We want to see sound policy changes."

A little recap then. Robert Mugabe and the Zanu-PF head up an entirely racist policy of farm invasions aimed solely at the white farmers of that country. An entire nation has subsequently been disincentivesed to farm and turned it's back on the sun. The white farmers of Zimbabwe then sued the Zimbabwe government at a SADC Tribunal. The Zimbabwe goverment have indicated that they are ignoring the SADC ruling, but now SADC must come up with R82Billion in aid to rebuild Zimbabwe and to feed it's people. Now for Zimbabweans eighty two billion rand might not sound like a lot, but for South Africans that is a lot of money. South Africa will pretend to care, while effectively turning it's back on Zimbabwe like Sir George Grey did to the Xhosa's 150 years ago. The idea that South Africa owes Zimbabwe ANYTHING is far fetched. Of course the ruling party sought refuge there in the days of apartheid, but times have changed. Pumping money into Zimbabwe is going to cost the ANC support, so don't expect the billions to be flowing any time soon.