Tensions Rise as Phalaborwa Small Farmers Face Displacement by Motsepe Foundation Citrus Initiative

PHALABORWA, South Africa - The agricultural sector in Limpopo faces a contentious chapter as small-scale farmers allege that their land and grazing rights are being usurped by the expansive Majeje Citrus Farming Project. Funded partially by the influential Motsepe Foundation, this initiative has sown discord among the local farming community, who fear both eviction and the loss of their ancestral assets.

David Mlondobozi, a smallholder farmer from Phalaborwa, who since 2004 has cultivated a variety of crops on land allocated by the chief, now finds patches of his farmland fenced off, earmarked for citrus cultivation. His concerns are echoed by many, as Mawewe Nkhwashu of the Mopani Farmers’ Association reports over a hundred farmers grappling with loss of grazing land.

The Majeje Citrus Company, conceived in partnership with the traditional authority, Komati Fruits, and Boela Bruwer, envisages job creation on land that has been the bedrock for generations of local farmers. Yet, the voice of the farming community—pivotal to the region's cultural and economic fabric—seems to go unheard.

Letters from the tribal authority curtailing land usage and demanding the removal of fences have incited tension. The throb of machinery encroaching deeper into traditional farmlands serves as an ominous reminder of impending changes for farmers like Mlondobozi and cooperative members who grow vital food crops and rely on water rights now under threat of reallocation.

Attempts to reach decision-makers at Komati Foods and the Motsepe Foundation have hit a wall. Furthermore, representatives from the provincial and national Departments of Agriculture have deflected inquiries back and forth, leaving pressing questions about the displacement of farmers unanswered.

At the heart of this conflict lie the intertwined issues of economic development, land rights, and traditional governance—a nexus requiring delicate navigation to avert the erosion of rural livelihoods and societal structures.