Winterveld, one of the poorest areas in Tshwane and an area plagued with unemployment, was given a new lease on life when it was discovered that it has huge potential for the growing of citrus trees.
The Winterveld area, which consists of 1 658 plots ranging in size from
five to ten morgen, was originally sold to black farmers in the 1940s
on a freehold basis. The land lay dormant for many years. With no technical
or practical support from government or the private sector, the landowners
merely rented out their plots to tenants as a source of income. However,
this all began to change when Dr Sam Motsuenyane discovered that the Winterveld
area has immense agricultural potential and is well positioned to grow
citrus trees.
By Dr Motsuenyane's deductions, the environment in Winterveld would be
conducive to the growth of all types of citrus trees. After discussions
with the national Department of Agriculture and some farmers from the
ten-morgen plots, a long-term plan for agricultural development was formulated,
and the farmers were encouraged to start a farmers' association – now
the Winterveld United Farmers Association.
With the help of the private sector, a citrus project was launched on
24 July 2002. One thousand orange trees were planted, and the numbers
have since increased by the thousands. The Executive Mayor of Tshwane
attended two tree-planting ceremonies, and subsequently requested the
Municipality's Local Economic Development Division to get involved. The
Municipality also pledged funding for the project. The input of the Municipality
contributed to the 12 200 trees planted to date.
One of the objectives the farmers' association had was to plant 10 000
trees for agricultural production. The farmers involved were asked to
take responsibility for planting the trees and looking after them, and
for establishing a small packaging and processing plant to package and
distribute the fruit when they were ready (this would happen in 2005,
as orange trees take three years to yield their first harvest).
The project is multifaceted, benefiting not only the farmers who are
directly involved in the project but also the community at large. Jobs
are being created, which will improve socio-economic conditions in the
area and therefore the lives of the residents. The project presents opportunities
for entrepreneurs to invest or otherwise get involved in it. The more
than 12 000 trees should yield a million oranges a year. If each farmer
with 100 trees produces 1 400 bags and sells them for R7,50 each, the
annual income for each farmer is R10 500.
Dr Motsuenyane was appointed project leader, and the executive of the
farmers' association handles the finances with the help of a registered
corporate structure. When the project was started, a training programme
was presented for the farmers. It covered institutional management, business
skills and functional enterprise skills. The training was presented over
a period of time, so that the farmers' progress could be monitored and
they could be given the right support when they needed it. Training in
and assistance with such things as fencing, fertilisation and the packaging,
classing and cleaning of the fruit are all part of the medium- and long-term
phases of the project.
Donations to initiate and develop the project came from the Muslim community
of Laudium and the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in six phases between
24 July 2002 (when the first tree-planting ceremony was held) and
27 September 2003 (when the final ceremony took place). Individuals
from the private and public sector and dignitaries attended the ceremonies,
including Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, the Executive Mayor of Tshwane,
and members of his Mayoral Committee. Before the last tree-planting ceremony,
Mrs Fazila Docrat, Acting Chairperson of the Mayoral Consultative Process,
with the help of Mrs Mirriam Ismail, another resident, raised R30 000
to buy 2 000 trees for the project and food for that ceremony. A TV was
donated by Mr Mohamed Adam for a presentation on the Winterveld Citrus
Project at the ceremony. Through the active participation of the community
of Laudium, a total of R361 500 was donated at the function.
On 15 October 2003, the farmers' association, representing the Winterveld
Citrus Project and the community, planted eight citrus trees at the Pretoria
Muslim School as an expression of their gratitude. The project has thus
far met all expectations, thanks largely to Dr Motsuenyane's hands-on
supervision and the participation and support of the community at large.
