A multimillion-rand farming project outside East London has gone to seed because notorious serial killer was forced out by government.
That is the overwhelming consensus among the 11 labourers who remain on the failed Kingsdale Dairy Farm in Nxarhuni Village, about 40km outside East London.
The workers, who spoke to DispatchLIVE at the property this week, considered Louis Van Schoor a doting “mentor”, not a mass murderer.
Van Schoor, now close to 70 years old, is believed to have murdered 39 black people between 1986 and 1989 while employed as a security guard in East London.
He infamously once told British media on being asked whether he had killed more than 100 black people: “I can't argue with that. I never kept count.”
He was jailed for his crimes but released on parole after serving 12 years, four months and 13 days of his 91-year sentence, which effectively translated into a 20-year prison term.
Van Schoor’s daughter, Sabrina van Schoor, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for hiring a hitman to kill her mother in 2002.
Kingsdale Dairy Farm was bought by the department of rural development & land reform in 2011 for R11m through the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development programme.
But in 2016, the Sunday Times revealed that Van Schoor was the director of the land reform project meant to benefit previously disadvantaged emerging black farmers.
The three beneficiaries were Lulamile Ngebelanga (deceased), Thebo Williams (deceased), and Vuyiswa Ngubelanga.
Now those who remain on the farm and former employees say things have not been the same since Van Schoor was booted out.
Kingsdale flourished during its early years of operation, employing 23 workers milking some 200 cows. The project was bringing in about R500,000 a month.
The farm was in a bad state when we got it, and we revived it. When Van Schoor came in, he elevated the farm.
Now there are only eleven workers and 48 cows left. Many of the animals struggle to produce milk.
Ngubelanga, the sole surviving beneficiary, told DispatchLIVE that a lack of guidance had led to the farm’s collapse. That guidance previously came in the form of Van Schoor, he said.
Ngubelanga said thanks to Van Schoor, the farm had performed well.
“The farm was in a bad state when we got it, and we revived it. When Van Schoor came in, he elevated the farm,” Ngubelanga said.
“Louis knew everything about dairy farming. He taught us about cows and the business was doing well. But things changed when Louis left and our standards dropped.”
Ngubelanga said Van Schoor was always happy to pass on his skills to them.
“Louis was teaching Lulamile things like artificial insemination. He was never a racist and no-one ever made any accusations against him.”
We didn’t know that he killed people during apartheid, but after the article came out, he explained that he was a changed man and he had served his sentence.
She said when Van Schoor first arrived, they had no idea about his past.
“We didn’t know that he killed people during apartheid, but after the article came out, he explained that he was a changed man and he had served his sentence.”
He said officials from rural development had subsequently come to the farm demanding that Van Schoor leave.
“The department denied hiring Van Schoor, but they were booking flights and accommodation for him when we went to workshops in other provinces.
Ngubelanga said they had been assured by the department that a successor would arrive the following week. They have been waiting four years for that to happen.
“I have been sent from pillar to post, even for funding that was applied for, but nothing is happening. We want to return this farm to its former glory.”
She said there was a time when 60 cows died in a short space of time, but they had no-one to turn to.
“Not having a mentor has been a struggle. Without a mentor you don’t know what to do. We need a new mentor, as in yesterday.”
Former employee Zanele Khedamile, who left the farm in September 2019, said Van Schoor had played an important role at the farm and was never racist towards the staff.
We worked with Louis and we had no problems with him. It was just normal work politics you find anywhere, he was never a racist.
“Things were fine at some point, but then the situation changed,” Khedamile said.
“We worked with Louis and we had no problems with him. It was just normal work politics you find anywhere, he was never a racist. I just went back home because I was not getting paid.”
Another former employee, Nombasa Dyosi, who left the farm in April after almost a year without a salary, said Ngubelanga and Van Schoor had made a good team.
“We never had problems with Van Schoor. He was just strict when it comes to work, but things were better then and also when Mr Ngubelanga was still alive,” Dyosi said.
The employees provided two cellphone numbers for Van Schoor — one his own and another belonging to a woman whom they identified as his girlfriend.
Both numbers went straight to voicemail.
Ngubelanga said crime had also contributed to the farm’s collapse.
“The stock has been stolen or slaughtered by the people from the villages nearby because the mlungu [white man] is gone.
“They stole the fence around the farm. Sometimes they would kill a cow and take out the liver and leave the rest. Sometimes they stole our feed.”
Ngubelanga said there was a pending criminal case against her. This was laid by a local security guard who accused her of beating him up after he allegedly broke into one of the houses on the farm.
Villagers also have allegedly destroyed five boreholes and stolen power supply cables. The cost to fix each borehole is R45,000.
“I am at a point where I can even give back the farm to government. We can’t get drought relief. I applied for funding from the department but it’s been years and nothing is coming.”
Department spokesperson Reggie Ngcobo told DispatchLIVE on Friday morning to send him queries. He had not responded at the time of going to print on Friday night.
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