Johannesburg - ActionSA Eastern Cape provincial chairperson Athol Trollip has written an open letter to Premier Oscar Mabuyane regarding the Magwa Tea Estate and the promise that it would provide 1500 jobs during the 2023 State of the Province Address.
Trollip said that upon reaching the Magwa Tea Estate notice board, which is pockmarked by bullet holes, he was pleasantly surprised at seeing that some of the overgrown plantations were being cut back.
‘’This was a positive sign. Soon thereafter, though, I encountered livestock (sheep and cattle) in the unfenced plantations, and some of the plantations are over 6 feet high and littered with pigweed and blue gum saplings.’’
‘’My heart dropped, but as I drove on, I encountered some productive plantation blocks that have been cut back and pruned, and this was encouraging. However, the further into the estate I went, I saw more overgrown plantation blocks, and I was further depressed to observe that some recently pruned blocks were already becoming overgrown and unproductive. I witnessed some burnt plantations, too,’’ read the letter.
Trollip, in the communique, said that when he reached the eastern side of the plantation, he saw the Ntsubane State Forest, whose neglect is reflected by the notice boards announcing their ownership by the National Department of Forestry and Fisheries.
‘’These forests that are a state asset are unkempt, they are not protected by any fire breaks, and much of the plantation has also been burnt. I suspect that the burnt tea plantations were as a result of the fires that burnt parts of the forest or vice versa.’’
“I then turned towards the factory expecting at least to see some upgrading since my last visit in 2013, which would bear testimony to the claim of it being on its way to sustainability,’’ wrote Trollip.
Trollip challenged Mabuyane to provide actual financial evidence of these tea plantations’ sustainability by providing the facts of what has been invested into the estate and what income it has generated in the past 10 years or at least since he has been premier.
He further asserted that the people of the province no longer exist and stated that democracy would prevail and political change would happen as surely as the seasons for growing and harvesting tea come and go and look forward to your response.
The Star