The Makgoba community won their ancestral land from the land commission in 2009 but are still living in abject poverty.
THE Makgoba Concerned Group appealed to G20 countries to intervene in a land and labor dispute with Westfalia Fruit over ancestral land usage and employment practices in the peripheries of Tzaneen in Mopani district.
The Makgoba community won back their ancestral land from the Limpopo Land Claims Commission in 2009.
The community alleges that Westfalia continues to export fresh avocados and make massive profits from this fertile land while 90% of community members remain unemployed and live in poverty.
Frans Kubjana, the spokesperson for the group, stated that the company favors cheap labor and hires undocumented foreign nationals rather than honoring agreements to train and employ local community members.
“Majority of our community members are living in abject poverty despite the overwhelming abundance of our agricultural wealth. Our people are unemployed while foreign nationals who are undocumented are working here. We will fight to the bitter end until we find what is rightfully ours…” he said.
The group has asked international leaders within the G20 to pressure the company, threatening to shut down operations and lock out the business if intervention does not occur.