By Jimmy Cigna and Nape Masemola
The Portfolio Committee seeks to establish the challenges and progress made and provide support to where necessary.
The Portfolio Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, led by the Chairperson honourable Bella Kupa recently conducted an oversight visit to the Tafelkop farmers association and Kopano Citrus on 18 June 2025. Outlining the purpose of the visit, Honourable Mapula Mokaba indicated that the visit is primarily aimed at looking into the challenges and progress made at these projects as well as providing support to farmers while ensuring that government money is well-spent and there is return on investment in the form of job creation and poverty alleviation.
Members of the committee firstly visited the Tafelkop Farmers Association, which comprises of 30 farmers and have been farming on a 189 hectares (ha) land for over 25 years. Notably, the association was handed tittle deeds to the land by President Cyril Ramaphosa, marking a milestone in their journey towards land ownership and agricultural development. During the visit, committee members interacted with farmers, inspected the infrastructure which was developed by the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (LDARD) which included the dam, irrigation system, ablution facilities, pack shed and the shade net. The portfolio committee members also reviewed the project progress and business model.
Farmers cultivate various crops including vegetables, tobacco, vegetables, maize, and soya bean.
Lastly the committee visited Kopano Citrus, which comprises of people living with disabilities, who started the project with planting vegetables for companies such as McCain and Tiger brand. Kopano Citrus have recently moved away from cash crops to permanent crops such oranges and lemons.
Chairperson of the committee commended the progress made on the project and encouraged members to continue working hard and ensure that they create more job opportunities for people around Ephraim Mogale Municipality. Honourable Kupa also applauded the LDARD’s Sekhukhune District for the efforts and commitment in ensuring that Kopano citrus is a success and a model project.
Regarding the challenges that Kopano citrus is facing such as crime and vandalism, Honorable Mokaba appealed to members to establish Community Policing Forum with adjacent farmers to curb the rising crime levels which were highlighted by Kopano Citrus Chairperson, Binah Mahlangu.
Chairperson of Kopano citrus, Ms Binah Mahlangu, has highlighted crime as one of their concerns.
