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HARD LIFE: Nkadimeng and Disky Pine inside their home on a farm in Rietvlei.

 We wish for a better life 

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The Royal Bafokeng Administration bought the farm land in Rietvlei outside Rustenburg from the workers' employers.

According to the workers, they were told that it was agreed that a better place to stay would be found for them.

Twelve years down the line, about 800 people on these farms are living without electricity, running water and sanitation.

They live in one-roomed backrooms on different farms while their children walk long distances to schools.

They do not have access to health facilities, safety and security services and facilities like a police station, let alone social grants, as many do not have identity documents and birth certificates.

Every day, most of the residents can be found basking in the sun with their hungry-looking children playing around them and the elderly drinking sorghum beer.

"It's how we live, daily," Nkadimeng Pine, 73, said. If the Bafokeng nation had not bought the land, we could still be employed."

Flora Ranou, a mother of six children and grandmother to 10, said: "We have lived like this for a long time. We are used to this lifestyle. It is hard and we wish to live like other people."

Rustenburg local municipality spokesman Peter Manzana said the municipality had agreed to provide the community with water on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Manzana said the people had refused to move to an alternative area with amenities, Tlaseng village, saying it was "far".

Manager at Royal Bafokeng Administration, Minah Huma, said they started purchasing the majority of plots in the Rietvlei area in 2001 with the aim of consolidating the Royal Bafokeng Nation's land.

She said after the conclusion of some of the transactions, it was discovered that the previous owners had left their workers on the plots. The Royal Bafokeng Nation then took a resolution to integrate them into it.

"A plan to relocate them to other Bafokeng villages was communicated [to] and accepted by these families," she said. - tshehleb@sowetan.co.za

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Sat May 18 11:19:22 SAST 2013 ::

Sep 19, 2012

mashima?

Aowa hle bathong, people always need sympathy from others, everybody have his/her own home of origin. If I'm staying here due to employment condition if the work is furnished i have to go back home. Gape maropeng go 'a boelwa, ke teng go sa boelweng. A gone mtho o a seng gagabo hle

I'm sorry my sympathy is furnished.
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Sep 19, 2012

cornelius

This is what will happen in a Zim style land grab as well.
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Sep 19, 2012

TooTrue

The Royal Bafokeng Administration now owns the land, but does not farm the land? This meant that they knew all along that those workers would be without work and lost to the farming industry when they bought it. Why did they not continue farming? Why did those farms go to waste? This does not make sense at all.
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Sep 19, 2012

spatch

A plan to relocate them to other Bafokeng villages was communicated [to] and accepted by these families," she whispered in a very quiet voice so no one else could hear..

LOL
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Sep 19, 2012

spatch

You can bet yer bottom dollar that the Royal BafferKings family are living royally lifestyles.
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Sep 19, 2012

spatch

The world’s leading platinum producer Anglo Platinum (Angloplat) confirmed on Friday that it had reached agreement with the Royal Bafokeng Nation, which would enable South Africa’s wealthiest indigenous tribe to take a majority interest...


South Africa’s wealthiest indigenous tribe
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Sep 19, 2012

Mrazane

If we want proper resolution to these issues we need to be very honest with ourselves as Africans... we are failing to manage the country and even simple farms. Let us admit that and work on fixing it. In Tzaneen there are similar farms...
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Sep 19, 2012

Moffdat

cornelius
This is what will happen in a Zim style land grab as well.
_____________________________________________
Royal Bafokeng is a private entity!! Don't talk through your rear-end kiddo.
Grab a book.
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Sep 19, 2012

|Sinudeity|

And here we thought the distribution of the farms would make the people on the ground wealthier... All I see is 800 people out of work...
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Sep 19, 2012

Moffdat

|Sinudeity|
I blame the farmer who saw a big chunk of cash and left his employees high and dry!!!
TYPICAL! Now another black person has to fix a white guys mess. Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Halie Salasie I and the list goes on and on!

You people can't keep messing up the world and expecting us to fix it for you!
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