Zukile Majova
I am inspired by the sight of the people of rural KwaBhaca in the Eastern Cape who beat impossible odds without much government support to sustain themselves and their livestock.
The Bhaca people came to this land with nothing, after trekking 600 kilometres on foot from KwaDukuza, now Stanger, escaping from King Shaka Zulu to settle in areas like Umzimkhulu and Mount Frere.
They are a hardworking tribe who keep large numbers of cattle, sheep and goats and cultivate vast amounts of land.
With the unemployment rate in the Eastern Cape hitting record highs, many families in the province are going back to living off the fat of the land.
The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey released by Stats SA announced an employment rate of 47.1%, confirming that one in every two people is unemployed.
Gripped by this reality, hundreds of households are taking basic subsistence farming more seriously than ever before.
Scrolla.Africa visited the home of 65-year-old Mzuvelile Shushu in Toleni location outside Mt Frere where we found the pensioner harvesting yellow maize and preparing it for the market.
The retired mineworker spent over 40 years working in gold mines in the Orkney mining belt in the North West province.
“I realised very early in my retirement that I would not afford to buy everything from the shops because of ever-increasing food prices.
“We are lucky to have gardens in village properties and various plots for growing maize in communal plots of one hectare per family.
Shushu has a herd of over 50 cattle and every so often sells an ox for a funeral or an ancestral ceremony for R13,000. A sheep sells for R1,800 while a fully grown pig goes for R3,200.
Nasela Majova, who recently harvested her maize, says her harvest is not for sale.
“We are not selling the produce, we are farming for the family upkeep and to support the livestock especially during winter months.”
The back-breaking work of subsistence farming ensures thousands of poor families are able to make a little money and save during harvest time.
Legend has it that when it snows in winter, the following year’s harvest is often greater and more profitable than the previous year.
It is for this reason that even in these bundus and hinterlands, the season of hope seems to be upon us.
