The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) today submitted a formal petition to the chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and the relevant select committees regarding the controversial debt collection practices of the Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa (Land Bank).
Kobus van den Berg, Freedom Front Plus MP and member of the Select Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Mineral Resources, submitted the petition.
The submission is made on behalf of around 150 commercial farmers and farming entities who are facing liquidation and attachment of assets.
The farmers contend that the Land Bank does not have the legal standing (locus standi) to do so, as there are no direct loan agreements with them and the cessions of debt from cooperatives such as Suidwes Landbou, GWK and Unigro to the Bank are invalid or unenforceable.
Many farmers are financially ruined by aggressive liquidations, undervalue farm sales and the bank’s own errors such as over-lending and delayed processes.
This not only threatens individual farmers, but also food security and the rural economy.
The petition requests, among other things, an urgent joint investigation, a moratorium on further attachments, and recommendations for improved oversight and fair recovery practices.
The full petition has been submitted to the Select Committee on Public Petitions and Executive Undertakings as well as the Select Committee on Agriculture.
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