A 72-year-old disabled farmer from Centane has been left devastated after waking to find his livelihood destroyed overnight — with hundreds of cabbages sliced in half and fields of maize cut down.
David Nomngqokwana, who runs the Tiyeka Agricultural Co-operative in ward 26 near Butterworth, said the scene he found on Sunday morning was horrid.
“I got to the project first and when I got there I realised that the cabbages had been sliced in half,” he said.
“The second to arrive was my son and my brother-in-law — they saw the damage as well. We walked around the farm and found more damage. The maize had been chopped down by a sharp object.”
Nomngqokwana said the attackers had forced their way into the fenced garden, stripping netting and leaving sections broken.
“They stole the net from all around the fence and left a piece by the gate. Petrol was also stolen from the site,” he said.
Police have opened a case of malicious damage to property and theft after about 19 litres of fuel were taken.
The co-op, established in 2012 with funding from the national department of agriculture, supports a small group of people living with disabilities. The project spans about 1.5 hectares and supplies produce to local supermarkets.
Nomngqokwana said he started the initiative not just to farm, but to empower others like himself.
“I called for those living with a disability to come and work in this project,” he said.
“This project was meant to teach them how to plant vegetables — maize, pumpkins, cabbage and butternut. People with a disability need to keep busy and do something with their lives.
“My intention was to make them not feel that they are disabled.”
Now, much of that work has been undone.
He estimates that more than 500 cabbages were destroyed, along with maize and other crops that were almost ready for harvest.
Damage to the cabbages alone was estimated at R15,900, with a further R6,400 in damage to fencing and R320 worth of fuel stolen.
One of the workers, 65-year-old Hlophe, said the attack had taken a heavy emotional toll.
“We couldn’t work after this happened,” he said.
“They stole the fence, sliced the cabbages and the maize.”
He said he had spent years working at the project despite struggling to walk, and the incident had left him shaken.
“I have had sleepless nights since it happened,” he said.
If someone was there while this was happening, that person would have been killed
Nomngqokwana believes a group of people armed with sharp objects such as machetes carried out the attack.
“If someone was there while this was happening, that person would have been killed,” he said.
The farmer said the incident had left him deeply traumatised.
“I might need medical and psychiatric help to get over this,” he said.
Community members, including traditional leaders, were called to the site along with police after the damage was discovered.
Mnquma mayor Tunyiswa Manxila-Nkamisa condemned the attack.
“This is heartbreaking,” she said.
“We strongly condemn this senseless act of cowardice because it goes against government efforts to alleviate food shortage, especially in rural areas where there is a high rate of poverty.
“The police must bring the perpetrators to book and they must face the full might of the law.”
She called on government departments and other stakeholders to assist in restoring the project.
“We call on sector departments and anyone else who can to support this initiative and get them back on their feet again, for the sake of all those whose livelihoods depend on it,” she said.
Police spokesperson Majola Nkohli confirmed that an investigation was under way.
Daily Dispatch
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