- Molefe had to leave her land near Ellis Park Stadium because the government wanted to build a multipurpose centre there.
- The Commission for Gender Equality says women struggle to get loans to buy farms because they do not own property.
Refiloe Molefe is fighting to save her farming business after she lost the land she spent 16 years working on.
Molefe started farming in Bertrams near Ellis Park Stadium in 2006 to fight poverty. She grew vegetables and fruit. She also made extra money by turning her crops into juice.
But she had to leave the land. The Department of Social Development took the space to build a new centre.
The move cost her dearly. She lost 157 fruit trees, two growing tunnels, a cold room, an office and two water tanks.
Now she farms on a small piece of land at a Baptist church. She says the new space does not have enough water and she relies on a borehole.
The land is too small for big harvests, but her juice business keeps her going. She sells her produce at local markets and Shoprite has offered to help her find more buyers.
“I want to grow my farming project into a business but I need access to secure land where I can grow more produce and make a better income,” she said.
She wants to buy an R2-million farm in Eikenhof to start a training centre. She needs heavy equipment like an industrial juicer and a mobile cold room.
Her struggle is common for female farmers.
The Commission for Gender Equality recently told Parliament that women face unfair rules when trying to get land.
The commission said women often cannot get bank loans because they do not own property to use as security. In some parts of the Eastern Cape, land can cost over R100,000.
The committee agreed that the government must do more than just give out land. They said women need secure rights and support to make a living.
