Case study Hillview farm final 2

This case study, written by Busisiwe Mgangxela of Bafo and Busi Organic Farming (Pty) Ltd, details the systemic challenges faced by small-scale farmers on the Hillview farm, a PLAS farm in East London. The account highlights severe mal-administration, corruption within the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), and the failure of the state to provide necessary infrastructure and producer support.

• Bafo and Busi Organic Farming (Pty) Ltd experienced significant delays in securing the Hillview farm due to corruption and mal-administration. Although they became the preferred candidates for the 48-hectare farm in June 2018, a signed 40-year lease agreement was only obtained in March 2020 because a Chief Director colluded with an individual who illegally occupied the land.
• The physical state of Hillview farm upon acquisition was severely degraded, with dilapidated housing and vandalised infrastructure. The farmers report that requests for assistance to fix buildings and access roads were ignored by the Chief Director, leaving them to live with mouldy walls and leaking roofs.
• There is a reported lack of oversight and misrepresentation in official reporting by DALRRD. The District Director responsible for PLAS farms has reportedly never visited Hillview farm since 2020, despite the farm being a 20-minute drive from her office, and official reports are claimed to incorrectly depict the farm's actual situation.
• The farm was unfairly penalised for the financial mismanagement of a previous beneficiary. A lawyer who previously held the farm mismanaged RECAP funding, leading provincial officials to treat the debt as belonging to Hillview farm, which blocked the current farmers from receiving funding until national officials corrected the error in 2024.
• The National PLAS Farmers’ Association was established to provide collective bargaining for farmers across all provinces who face similar systemic issues, including a lack of support that renders much of the redistributed land unproductive or less productive.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (n.d.). Case study Hillview farm final 2. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Case-study-Hillview-farm-final-2.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. Case study Hillview farm final 2. n.d. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Case-study-Hillview-farm-final-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=Case study Hillview farm final 2 |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Case-study-Hillview-farm-final-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjusticendcase, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{Case study Hillview farm final 2}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Case-study-Hillview-farm-final-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }