Transfer of Church Land donated by the Diocese, 24 January 2007

Milestone in the History of St. John’s Mission

Bholothwa in the Eastern Cape

On 24th January 2007 the Bishop of Grahamstown, Bishop Thabo Makgoba, signed the transfer of St. John’s Mission farmland to 24 local beneficiaries.

The colourful ceremony, which included Xhosa horsemen and dancers in traditional dress, took place in the grounds of Bholothwa’s former rectory, now restored as the Nondumiso Retreat and Training Centre.

The large crowd attending the signing, included representatives from the community and the churches and officials from local and national Government.

St. John’s Mission, along with St. Matthew’s, Keiskammahoek, St. Luke’s, Newlands and St. Michael’s, Herschel, is one of the four existing historic mission settlements of the Anglican Church in this central part of the Eastern Cape, all established in the 1800’s.

The transfer of this land, 100 hectares of Farm 149, is the first major transfer of Church land in this part of the Eastern Cape under the Government’s Land Reform programme. Six hectares of the farm, which contains St. John’s Church, the new Retreat Centre and the burial ground, are being retained by the Diocese of Grahamstown.

Much of the land has the potential for growing good crops and should provide an acceptable standard of living for the beneficiaries in this disadvantaged area. The Bholothwa river which runs through the centre of the farm has in the past enabled the successful growing of citrus fruit and vegetables, and this is again envisaged in the current Farm Plan.

The transfer has taken eight years to complete. It was started in 1998 with the decision by the diocese to assist those living in disadvantaged rural areas where the Church owned land. Bholothwa was one such place.

Throughout this time the diocese through DSR staff on its Land Justice Programme has worked jointly with field officers from the Government’s Land Affairs & Agricultural departments in handling the process of selection and training of beneficiaries.

Beneficiaries were selected according to the criteria of the Government’s Land Reform programme. (For example, they had to be local, not in any form of government employment, committed to the project and include both men and women) Those who met these criteria and who attended the monthly training meetings were entitled to the government grant of R20 000 per person.

This grant, which is managed and monitored by the Land Affairs department once the ownership of the land is transferred, is to enable the beneficiaries to get started on the farm, and to be used for fencing, machinery, seeds and fertilizer etc.

The process of selection was a long and difficult one. Of the 62 who initially showed interest five years ago, 24 remained committed to the project - nearly all of whom had experience of working with livestock and crops.

Training, largely based on the Farm Plan produced by Development Officer, Vernon Gibberd, also included marketing and book-keeping and understanding the responsibilities and legal requirements of land ownership.

Signing the Constitution

During 2005 the beneficiaries elected to work together as a team forming a Community Property Association (CPA) with the name “Siyazama Project”-which means “We are trying!”.

The following year a Constitution setting out the legal requirements was signed by all the beneficiaries and the project formally registered with the Department of Land Affairs in Pretoria.

The Nondumiso Retreat Centre and the 6 hectares of land, is situated in the centre of the farm, and has been the base for the Siyzama Project and beneficiaries’ monthly training meetings. This will continue in the years ahead and will ensure an on-going partnership with the diocese and those with farming experience.

These past 8 years of preparing for the transfer has not been without its problems and frustrations. The Department of Land Affairs is hugely under-resourced in finance and qualified personnel. The Siyazama members and diocesan staff have had to work with 5 different Field Officers – each time starting the process from scratch.

In November 2004 the Queenstown Roads Department removed a large section of fencing and excavated 2½ ha of land for road repairs. Despite repeated requests the damage has not been repaired and the problem resolved.

A further frustration has been tracking down and up-dating Title Deeds of 150 years ago, some of whose conditions bear no relation to the existing property.

Despite these setbacks and frustrations, the final transfer of land at Bholothwa has been a milestone in the history of this mission settlement, and our thanks are due to all those who have worked with us and made possible this outreach in mission to the people of Bholothwa.

Jesse Sage

For further information: 082 6516698 or 043 7820771