No end in sight for New Venture boundary dispute

Despite confirmation last year by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Land Affairs that a portion of New Venture Farm in the Nkwalini Valley indeed belongs to the farm owner, Mark Chennells, and not to the esibhonsweni community living on the boundary, the co

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Despite confirmation last year by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Land Affairs that a portion of New Venture Farm in the Nkwalini Valley indeed belongs to the farm owner, Mark Chennells, and not to the esibhonsweni community living on the boundary, the community still refuse to accept the department’s findings.
Recently about 200 people from the esibhonsweni community, together with other people bussed in from Durban, marched to New Venture Farm to hand over a memorandum to Chennells.
It outlined demands that he and his staff rebuild houses that they allegedly unlawfully demolished, that livestock that was impounded on orders of the farm management be returned to the community within five working days and that the retrenchment of farmworkers living in the area be stopped.
It also contained a request that the alleged harassment of adults and schoolchildren from the esibhonsweni community be stopped, and that farm management give the community free access to use a farm road passing through the Venture Farm.
“Should you refuse to do all of the above we will force you to leave,” said a copy of the memorandum translated from Zulu into English by Chennells’ lawyers.

No resolution following Eva murder
Early last year the Venture farm manager, Kenneth Lionel Eva, was beaten to death, allegedly by a mob of esibhonsweni community members, when a meeting between Eva and the community over the boundary dispute turned ugly.
One of Chennells’ managers accepted the memorandum on his behalf under the watchful eye of the police and clergy from the KwaZulu-Natal regional Christian Council. New Venture management said that there are still instances of cattle from the community allegedly being driven into orchards on the farm and that the community continues to erect dwellings on the boundary.
Chennells has offered the entire Venture Farm for sale to land affairs so that it can be redistributed, but nothing has come of his offer.
“We now have proof the Inkosi and Induna of the esibhonsweni community have been taking money to allow community members to build houses on my farm,” Chennells told Farmer’s Weekly. “We refuse to give in to the demands of the community and will not be intimidated. The march was a waste of taxpayers’ money because so many police were deployed, but in the end so few marchers turned up.”
The march was not sanctioned by any government department. – Lloyd Phillips and Larry Bentley