Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Suzette Steyn and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Kabelo Moreeng. See attached pictures here, here, here, and here.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mafube will actively monitor and oversee the development and management of newly funded cattle handling facilities in Frankfort, Villiers, and Tweeling to ensure they are correctly completed, effectively managed, and beneficial to both residents and emerging farmers.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) secured funding for the development of cattle handling facilities in Mafube during the current financial year, which ended in March 2025.
These facilities, once complete, will remain under municipal ownership and be co-managed by the municipality and the DARD.
We welcome Mafube’s decision to allocate municipal properties for the development of cattle facilities in Frankfort, Villiers, and Tweeling after the DA’s request for the Municipal Manager to gazette the appropriate bylaws and to reinstate the long-overdue pound system to manage stray cattle to protect residents’ properties, ensure public safety and provide solutions to emerging farmers, who rely on communal grazing land.
According to the DARD, the new facilities will streamline essential processes, including artificial insemination, castration, vaccination, dehorning, and livestock weighing.
Properties were identified in Frankfort at the municipal auction kraals in Frankfort (which was moved closer to the airstrip due to the proximity to the waterworks), at Villiers and at Camp 26 in Tweeling. Cornelia already has an existing facility; thus, the new project should fulfil the needs of the communal farmers of Mafube.
Due to the lack of sufficient grazing land, some communal farmers continue to let their cattle graze within townships and towns, damaging residents’ gardens and properties, posing unnecessary health hazards, and just being a general nuisance.
The DA has been advocating for proper bylaws to regulate stray cattle since September last year. The inclusion of a pound system in the service level agreements, as presented in council, should be non-negotiable.
The DA supports the re-establishment of a secure and effective pound system, as well as better conditions to support emerging farmers.
We will remain vigilant in overseeing the successful completion and implementation of these projects, ensuring that they serve both communal farmers and residents.
We urge the council to finalise and have the necessary bylaws gazetted to ensure accountability and proper management in the future.
Through proper management, Mafube can benefit from sustainable agricultural development while safeguarding residential areas.