‘Give us what you promised’ – black farmer to government
“Government has betrayed black farmers by promising them funds, recapitalisation, and committing to pay money, which they do not do. They have created hope and then taken it away,” says Solly Letsoalo, a Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) programme farmer from Limpopo, relating his experience as a black farmer waiting for government to fulfil its promises of funding.
Letsoalo has been part of the PLAS programme since 2007. Since then, he has spent more time filling out countless forms than farming. Besides recapitalisation money that has been outstanding for four years, he is also awaiting funding that was promised as part of the COVID-19 relief funds for smallholder farmers.
“This whole issue about government funding for black farmers has damaged relationships and broken trust between white and black farmers. They say we get R1,2 billion COVID-19 relief funds and
