Blood, Citrus, and Silence: Inside a Limpopo Farm’s War of Attrition

In August 2023, Ntuthuko Shezi, founder of agricultural investment company Livestock Wealth, did what many Black entrepreneurs dream of: he bought a commercial farm. The property, a citrus farm outside Musina in Limpopo, was acquired legally at a public auction. It was supposed to be an opportunitya foothold in South Africa’s lucrative agricultural export market.

Instead, it has become a nightmare of sabotage, intimidation, and alleged racial violence. And Shezi says the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has left him and his staff defenceless.

The Handover That Went Wrong

To ensure continuity, Livestock Wealth temporarily retained the previous farm manager, Kobus Strydom. Strydom brought experience and, crucially, his wife’s connections to multinational exporter Doleconnections the new owners believed would keep export channels open.

“We bought the farm legally at auction and appointed an experienced manager to run operations on our behalf,” Shezi said.

Within months, that trust appeared to have been betrayed.

“We later discovered that he was not acting in our best interests and was actively sabotaging the farm so that we would fail,” Shezi alleges.

A Web of Alleged Misconduct

Strydom was replaced in December 2023 by Themba Ngwenya, a new manager who, according to Shezi, promptly uncovered widespread misconduct.

The allegations are extensive:

• Workers paid by Livestock Wealth were allegedly diverted to Strydom’s private farming operations.

• A farmhouseallegedly not disclosed to the new ownersremained occupied by Strydom’s relatives, who used water and electricity paid for by Livestock Wealth despite written notices to vacate.

• Illegal water and electricity connections were allegedly diverting supply to adjacent orchards, causing electricity costs to surge to R130,000 per month.

• Nearly R1 million worth of citrus packaging was allegedly stolen from the Livestock Wealth packhouse.

• A “ghost employee”Strydom’s own garden workerwas allegedly on the company payroll.

Violence Escalates

When Shezi attempted to move into the farmhouse in December 2023, he claims Strydom met him with threats.

“He threatened me with violence and with having me arrested for trying to move into our own property,” Shezi said.

A criminal case relating to the alleged theft of water and electricity was opened at Musina Police Station in January 2024. Strydom was arrested and released on bail. Ngwenya was listed as a witness.

But rather than de-escalating, Shezi alleges the violence intensified.

• Strydom’s son allegedly damaged Ngwenya’s vehicle. He was arrested and released on bail.

• Weeks later, Shezi claims, Kobus Strydom repeatedly rammed Ngwenya’s vehicle while Ngwenya was seated inside.

“He was sitting in the driver’s seat when the vehicle was rammed repeatedly. The incident could have taken his life,” Shezi said.

The NPA’s Roleand Inaction

The case was initially opened as attempted murder. According to Shezi, it was later downgraded to malicious damage to property.

“How can it be labelled malicious damage to property when there was somebody inside the car?” he asked.

Shezi alleges repeated failures by the NPA have left him and his staff without protection. Ngwenya, he said, continues to suffer psychological trauma following the incident.

The NPA has not responded to requests for comment.

A Pattern of Farm Violence

South Africa’s farming communities have long been the site of complex racial and economic tensions. While attacks on white farmers have received significant attention, cases involving Black farm owners facing violence from white former managers are less frequently documented.

Shezi’s allegations, if proven, would represent a stark example of the latter: a legally acquired asset, a transition gone wrong, and a campaign of alleged sabotage and violence that the criminal justice system appears unableor unwillingto stop.

What Comes Next

Livestock Wealth continues to operate the farm, but Shezi says the climate of fear persists. Workers are afraid. Ngwenya is traumatised. The alleged perpetrators remain free on bail.

For Shezi, the question is no longer just about the farm. It is about whether the state can protect those who seek to build within itand whether the NPA will act before someone dies.

“I don’t know how many more incidents it will take,” he said.

{Source: IOL}

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