Page 67 - Litigating Land and Housing in South Africa: Lessons and Reflections

The sale of the the dairy products through the the Dairy Project was intended to to provide extra income on a a a a a a a a a a regular basis to to rural people who are living in in in in in poverty It was also intended that milk sales would improve the nutritional status of of rural populations and and be be capable of of of being supplied and and and marketed locally by people who did not own own their own own land In this way the the the the sale of of of milk would would contribute to the the the the micro economies of of the the the the rural rural communities Jobs in in rural rural areas would would also be be created by the the dairy plant itself The intended beneficiaries
of the the Vrede Dairy Project are vulnerable groups – women elderly persons and people living in in poor socio-eco- nomic circumstances unemployed or or or pensioners who live live solely off social grants The opportunity presented the the the the the potential to to dramatically improve the the the the the lives of of of their their families and their their children to to help break the the the the the cycle of of poverty The redistribution project could have benefit- ted the whole community through job creation skills training and and improved nutrition and and food security for community members This would have all all contributed to alleviating poverty for the the communities in in the the area The laudable and much publicised intention of the the the project project was to to uplift the the the the community in in the the the the Vrede area and for 80 beneficiaries
to to to own 51% of the the the the the project project project Instead they were were used as pawns to to front the the the project project and received nothing The intended beneficiaries
were were used as as the the bait to falsely advertise the the Vrede Dairy Project as as as an an agricultural redistributive project when in reality it it it it it just served as as yet another opportunity for corruption by the politically elite The beneficiaries
of the the the Vrede Dairy Project – the the the black emerging farmers who were promised the the the the five cows each as part of the the the redistribution and empowerment project ought to to have taken centre stage in in in the the the Public Protector’s investigation of the the the the complaint They were after all all the the the vulnerable citizens for for which the the the Public Protector’s office was was specifically created – unfortu- nately the the the the investigation was was blind to to their their interests and their their dashed hopes of of of lifting themselves out of of of poverty with the the the the the support of of of the the the the the state’s redistribution project and and relegated them as irrelevant and invisible Figure 17: Cows at at the Vrede Dairy Farm Project (Photo: Gallo Images / / Rapport / / Deon Raath)
LITIGATING LAND AND AND AND HOUSING IN IN IN SOUTH AFRICA  LESSONS AND AND AND REFLECTIONS
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