Question NW13 to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
29 August 2023 - NW13
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What are the details of the (a) total breakdown of funding used to support the Chloe Land Care Programme in Juno, Limpopo, since the start of the project, (b)(i) past and (ii) current land care programmes and (c)(i) beneficiaries of such programmes and (ii) employment created; (2) what led to the demise of the Chloe Sisal Project?
Reply:
(1)(a) The Chloe ‘LandCare’ Project was not funded from the LandCare Conditional Grant since its inception. On investigation we found out that the project was conceived from the umbrella principles of LandCare to pursue the LandCare ethos; it is for this reason the project was called Chloe LandCare.
The Chloe ‘LandCare’ Project sought to improve the grazing conditions of the area and to establish a livestock association. Workers were hired to erect the fence and to clear bush encroachment and sisal to improve the area under grazing.
Our further investigations revealed that this Project was funded from the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP)’s Integrated Incentive Grant and reported to Department of Public Works and Infrastructure as a National Transferring Officer for the grant.
(b) (i),(ii),(c)(i),(ii) List of 2021/22 and 2022/23 land care projects are attached. Please refer to Annexure A.
(2) The Limpopo Department of Agriculture undertook a rigorous economic assessment and research by a specialist who concluded that the Sisal projects should be closed since they were not economically viable.