Further Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD) Projects Launched

The Minister for Agriculture in the Western Cape, Cobus Dowry will give further impetus to Land Reform when he officially hands over two projects to beneficiaries of the LRAD Programme of Government on 24 November 2006.

At 12h00 he will hand the project in Piketberg over to the beneficiaries of the OAKVIEW VILLAGE TRUST and at 14h00 the beneficiaries of the LELIEFONTEIN TRUST near Malmesbury will officially take ownership of their project near Malmesbury.

OAKVIEW VILLAGE
Mouton's Valley, Piket-Bo-Berg, Piketberg

BACKGROUND

Mouton's Valley is a deciduous fruit farm in the Piketberg area that produces mainly apples, pears, citrus, nectarines and peaches.

At a time when some landowners opted to empower their workers with shares, Mouton's Valley Trust decided to give their workers something much more permanent - their own house. A process was started with a consultant, Johann Hamman, to draw up a business plan. This plan was later submitted to the Department of Land Affairs and finally approved 10 June 2001. In October 2005, 65 applicants from the Oakview Village Trust received a housing subsidy for the Department of Land Affairs.

LELIEFONTEIN (Was also known as Goeie Hoop Landbouvereniging)

Type of Project: LRAD - food security (to begin with)
No of beneficiaries: 32 applicants
Legal Entity: Leliefontein Farming Trust

The Provincial Director approved the project on 25 August 2003 (approved under Section 10 of Act 126). The transfer was effected on 30 September 2003. There was at that time, just enough money allocated from the 2003/4 budget for the acquisition of the land. The payment of the Balance of Grants (BoG) had to be put on hold until the start of the 2004/5 financial years.

Alie van Jaarsveld
Spokesperson
Ministry of Agriculture: Western Cape
Tel: 021 483 4930
Fax: 021 483 3890
Cell: 084 604 6701
E-mail: avjaarsv@pgwc.gov.za

A Home for All ~ 'n Tuiste vir Almal ~ iKaya Lethu Sonke
www.westerncape.gov.za