Johannesburg - Unemployment is a crisis that continues to plague South Africa, but there are pockets of hope like the Mamahlola Communal Property Association (CPA), which shows that when carefully executed, a land reform programme has the potential to stimulate job creation.
Chairperson of Mamahlola CPA, Masilu Modiba, says that since the community reclaimed ownership of the land in 2001, the Limpopo-based CPA has made remarkable strides.
"We have successfully generated employment opportunities for a lot of our community members, empowering many of our members through diverse skills development programmes and providing financial assistance for further education for children in the community. These achievements highlight how land reform can succeed when communities have the right partners to work with to help them grow their land enterprises," said Modiba.
The CPA’s success highlights the impact of a methodological partnership facilitated by the Vumelana Advisory Fund, the non-profit organisation’s community-private partnership (CPP) model.
Back in 2017, Vumelana facilitated the partnership between the Mamahlola Communal Property Association (CPA) and its private investor, Serala Estate, in the Mamahlola district.
The partnership deal was worth R120 million, and through that, they were able to work together to produce soft citrus, avocado, and macadamia nuts on 370 hectares of the CPA’s 1 600 hectares of land.
Today, the CPA employs just over 166 members of the community on the farm. These jobs indirectly impact the lives of over 1 300 beneficiary households, who are members of the CPA.
Modiba says that through the partnership, the CPA has been able to maximise the potential of the land to generate income and create much-needed jobs to uplift the entire community.
"It is also worth emphasising the invaluable support provided by Vumelana in facilitating this partnership, as it has played a crucial role in providing post-settlement support. This support has been instrumental in enabling us to use our land productively," said Modiba.
The Star