Mango farmers hampered by theft of fruit

According to mango producer, Whiskey Kgabo, who leases an 888-ha government farm at Ledzee just outside Tzaneen. He says thieves are making a fortune from his mangoes and there is not much he can do about it. “I have been reporting the theft cases to the police and my concerns are well-known at the Tzaneen Police Station, but not much is being done.

“I feel powerless because it affects my income. “My security guards are outnumbered by the thieves. “At times they even carry guns, which put the lives of my employees at risk,” he said. Kgabo believes that the thieves sell the stolen fruit to companies that need mangoes for their businesses, especially atchar factories. Kgabo has been farming in the Mopani region for the past 39 years and leases his farm from the government.

Also read: Mango farmer at a loss

He says the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development contributes to the problem as he does not own the land. “According to the lease, I was supposed to get a title deed to my farm after five years, but ten years later I still have not received anything.” In 2013 he employed more than 70 people which would increase to 300 during harvest time. Now, because of increased theft, he has about ten casual workers and will employ about 20 to 30 more during the harvest season.

Kgabo and other farmers last year turned to the Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai) to get assistance with his title deed challenge. According to Dr Theo de Jager, chairperson of Saai, beneficiaries of the land redistribution programme are doomed to the eternal status of subfarmers because they have to rent their land from the State. Kgabo says he has had no communicaction on his plight from the Minister of Agriculture after it was brought under his attenion last year