Mankweng Farmers and The Pursuit of Resources: Funding and Water Rights.

In Mankweng, a former apartheid administration enclave within the Lebowa Bantustan (1963- 2001), the complex reality of rapid urbanisation and service delivery within a dual governance system plays out. This facet of South Africa’s layout is integral to understanding how various resources, such as those of the Water-Energy-Land-Food (WELF) Nexus are accessed and controlled, given that about 13 % of the country’s landmass was declared a bantustan or homeland due to the Land Acts of 1913 and 1936. Mankweng is a township, located 25km east of Polokwane city, the capital of the Limpopo Province. The township is home to the University of Limpopo and is surrounded by a number of villages, which are governed by the state and about 6 different traditional authorities.  These governance structures collectively influence the development of the area and work towards the needed provision of water, electricity, tarred roads and many other services, which include supporting small holder farmers.

On the 11th of May 2023, at the Mankweng office of the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, a small holder farmers’ meeting was held regarding applications for funding and water rights. Given that the national unemployment rate of 32.9%, and national and Limpopo provincial hunger rates of 26.0% and over 30% respectively, according to a 2013 South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (SANHANES); it is imperative to understand the role of small holder farmers in food security and systems.  The May farmer’s meeting was my first encounter with a group of over 80 farmers in one location. This turnout reflected the deep need for funding, which was also echoed by the assistant director of the Mankweng district Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr W. Mogano, when asked about the most pertinent issue for small holder farmers.

As we sat under the scorching sun, a detailed explanation was given of the 17-page-long funding application form and process, including each of the required supporting documents, such as title deeds or Permission to Occupy documents (PTO) from the tribal authorities. At this point in time, I had been hanging out with farmers from the Ratanang Vegetable Garden co-operative for about 2 months. Ratanang, did not have a bank account for a variety of reasons, yet the co-op had been operational for 25 years and had 27 members, most of which were women and over the age of 40. Although the farm supplies vegetables to formal and informal markets, it provides a source of income to sustain the livelihoods of farmers. Therefore, the lack of a bank account disqualified them from such an opportunity which could help increase production and/or profits. Nonetheless, the meeting was attended by a single member from the co-op, reflecting a lack of interest or awareness.

Farmers at the Ratanang co-op and elsewhere expressed that access to water was major constraint. Most farmers in Mankweng use borehole water and pay for electricity to pump it. At the farmer's meeting, a presentation was also given by two representatives from the Department of Water and Sanitation about the process of applying for water use rights by farmers – an "easier" procedure costing only R150 that could be done online. However, this was not the case. At the end of the meeting, one of the bold farmers stood up to speak, saying: “lebalang ka funding... ha hona chelete ya selo e tswang mo’’ (Forget about funding, there is no money which will be given from this).  The farmer explained that she had attempted on numerous occasions to gain a water license: having sought assistance, through visiting the relevant offices in Polokwane and calling the helpline in Pretoria, only to be referred in a circle. Eventually she realised that the process was futile as exorbitant technical hydrological reports might be required for the application of a water-use license, costing between just under R10 000 to R100 000. How had such an arduous bureaucratic process existed for over 15 years, and where was the voice of the farmers in the establishment of such policies? What about ‘dikgoshi’ (the traditional authorities), what role do they play in assisting farmers to gain access to water or water rights?  Do they even have the power to influence such matters regarding resources? These and other questions are at the forefront of my WELF Nexus investigation, in Mankweng.