30 years of democracy — Umkhonto weSizwe soldier trades tireless activism for farming

‘I never knew my life would end here or begin. Or that I would have a second chance to start at this point. Farming and caring for the land is my life. I love the land. I love the earth. I am mad about the idea we can use the earth to live and survive, but also that we must give back to replenish.”

For just over a decade, Errol April has run Amanzi, an apple and pear farm near Greyton in the Western Cape. He exports his fruit — look out for his unique V0299 marker — having re-planted orchards to maximise sun exposure and substituting old trees to become the first black farmer to grow the apple variety, Bigbucks.

“We’ve proven that we can and that we are on par with any other farming project in the country, black or white.”

Being a farmer wasn’t the plan; teaching was the dream. Student and anti-apartheid activism charted a very different path. Jail, banning and house arrest led to the decision, after friends who had left the country returned, to take up arms and join Umkhonto weSizwe.

While his father and grandfather fended for the family from their garden patch, farming was more abstract.

“The land, when I was young, we discussed it. I was convinced the land is a national question and that the land is fundamental in the redistribution of the country and bringing the country back to where it is supposed to be.

“Even at this stage, the land remains central, pivotal in the question. It needs to be returned to the rightful owners and to be shared thereafter, so that everyone can benefit.”

From debt to recognition

At Amanzi the abstract has become reality. The tools learnt in Umkhonto weSizwe are germane — from forward planning, dialectical and historical materialism-based analysis to sheer grit and determination to make it happen.

Originally a collective of six — with the 1994 democratic transition, April integrated into the SANDF, leaving in 2006 — wanted to farm, preferably cattle or sheep. It was not an easy path; some members ultimately pursued different options.

Having put in the application in 2009, April hawked fruit and veg and did gardening and tree felling to generate a livelihood. In 2011 came the phone call to say he and his partner in farming, the now late Jabu Dosi, were approved. It took another two years before all was actually done.

“In 2013 they said this is your farm. We did not know this place... They had to meet us in Caledon to bring us this side. When we got here we said, ‘Why are they bringing us to dead trees?’ It was August, the apple trees are in rest,” recounts April. “We fell in love with the farm.”

Amanzi has its own microclimate. Water comes from the mountains. Facilitated through the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy, the farm initially came under an industry caretaker-like arrangement. April and his partner got government involved, restructured and from 2016 made use of the recapitalisation programme.

“When we got here, we already had debt. It grew to R7-million within two years,” recounts April.  “I spoke to Jabu, [who said] let’s take this money from government, this grant money... and run the farm with the grant money, honour the business plan.”

And that’s how it went.

Read more in Daily Maverick: The Promised Land: How MK vet made farming work for him

“We had harvests, so we repaid our debts with the harvest. We used the recap money to run the farm; we bought tractors, spread cards... In 2017 we owned them zero cents. The industry was very amazed.”

It was tough being seen as “terrorists”, having to learn on the go almost at once, even if mentoring was available. Recognition for what’s been done at Amanzi came in 2017 when April won the deciduous fruit industry novice farmer award.

“I decided to stay and do this because of how I saw myself in a new dispensation. Nothing was going to fall from heaven, it’s something that I must work for. I have a family... Obviously being trained to take on any challenge and interpret it [helped]. We were trained with matters like dialectical and historical materialism where you can analyse. And I used these tools to analyse my today and also my tomorrow...”

Ill health meant Dosi moved; he passed away two years ago.

‘A definite tomorrow’

Caroline April admits she initially didn’t think her husband was serious about farming. Today she does the books and accounts at Amanzi. “I’m from a medical background, so apples and pears are unfamiliar. We both settled into it (farming) like ducks to water,” she says. “There’s no other place I want to be.”

Plans are to expand as not every parcel of the 211-hectare farm is planted. Sheep, chicken and 20 cows with a stud bull provided for three years through a government project are on the farm now. Bee hives produce “amahoney” for sale.

Amanzi runs a worker profit share scheme — yes, a “marginal profit” is achieved even if it’s described as nothing to shout from the roof. And crucially, the apple and pear farm complies with the same global auditing standards as countries from Chile to Spain and Germany.

But the more than two-year-long Covid-19 lockdown was harsh. The exports via TrueCape stopped as ports closed; another industry entity Two A Day stepped in to distribute apples and pears domestically. All applications to the banks, also under the Covid-19 support scheme, failed for reasons the financial institutions didn’t share.

“In our journey as soldiers, there is a definite tomorrow and we work to that tomorrow. Fortunately, we could pay our workers with reserves.”

But for April, it’s not yet the South Africa he fought for.

“I’m very disappointed at the pace in which people have gotten a better life. The pace started off good, but it got interfered with, with corruption, greed and not caring for people. Because if you steal from public funds, you don’t care for people.”

While for farmers like himself, support is crucial — government should conduct skills audits and capacity building — he continues to tackle the challenges, to fight and learn. To push ahead.

“When we came (to Amanzi) I told Jabu I want to die here,” recollects April. “This is my time to stop swerving... I have been involved in many things. I have seen many wrong things, difficult things to explain today in open spaces. Today after all these years, this is where I want to stop and move with apples and pears.” DM