It was a dream come true for Lumka Mhletywa when her application for a dairy farm in Macleantown, Eastern Cape, was approved by the department of rural development and land reform (DRDLR).
Under the 30-year lease agreement, she repays the mortgage monthly and will, at the end of the term, becomes the owner of the land.
She took over the farm with a number of dairy cattle and ran it for a few months when she encountered her first hurdle: she was unable to pay her Eskom electricity bills. Now there seems to be a light at the end of an otherwise dark tunnel with the power utility’s nationwide #ComeCleanCampaign, which calls for people who owe money to come forward and get a 50% discount...