Modise vows to make farm a success ‘without white help’
National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise says she's going to stay on her farm and make it a success without the help of white people.
Modise says she’s not selling her farm nor rely on “a white man as a farm manager” to make it a success.
Modise has been acquitted of six animal cruelty charges by the Potchefstroom Reginal Court due to a lack of evidence.
The National Council of SPCAs has since indicated that the judgment will be appealed.
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The case against Modise stems from the animal welfare’s visit to her farm in the North West in 2014 where they found several starving animals and carcasses of animals that had died of starvation.
“This is a complete travesty of justice for the animals that suffered and died a horrendous death, but we will not give up. We are indebted to Advocate Gerrie Nel and the legal team of Afriforum for their great efforts in assisting us with the private prosecution,” says the organisation’s Marcelle Meredith.
“White people know how to farm because they had hundreds of years to practice. So, when they gave me the opportunity to speak, I said ‘yes you are right; we cannot farm because we have not had access to land to practice and keep up with farming methods,” Modise sais in court on Friday.
She said police failed to act when her farmers requested help after being attacked by white men.
Modise believes that she made enemies.
“I am going to stay on my farm, and start reinvesting on my farm and I’m going to prove that you don’t have to have… because the other thing I refuse to do is hiring a white man as a farm manager.”