The farm Kroonvrug, near Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is in the market after the farm was invaded and the game was killed with knobkieries and machetes. The owner’s game farming is completely destroyed.
Kroonvrug was in the news after 27 cattle from the neighboring community Mbletshe died on the farm. The cattle were allegedly poisoned.
Just after the incident the community cut the farm’s fences and killed 51 of Raath’s antelope with machetes and knobkieries, loot the carcasses and drove off. The damage is estimated at R3 million.
Raath had to repair his fence repeatedly over the past two years and 19 cases of property damage were reported to the police, but so far no arrest have been made in this regard. According to a member of the Mbletshe community who farms with more than 60 cattle, Mathenjwa Bongan, there has been inadequate grazing in winter for more than a decade for the communal farmers of Mbletshe which is a huge problem.
According to the community, the government’s reluctance to process land claims is partly responsible for invading Kroonvrug.
Raath and his father, Flip Raath, have offered Kroonvrug for sale and abandoned the farm. The relevant agent does farm sales to the government, but it can be a protracted transaction.
Meanwhile, Mr. Fred Visser and his son, Du Toit, are continuing with their pineapple farming on a portion of Kroonvrug. Security measures are in place to prevent the cattle from the Mbletshe community to graze in the pineapple plantations.
The local farmers’ association tries to calm tempers and supply bales of hay for the community, whose pasture is insufficient. A borehole was also made available for the cattle.
Mr. Arno Raath and his family now live in the town. The family was uprooted and Arno’s game farming destroyed.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
