GEORGE NEWS - A small pig farm community living illegally in an obscure corner of George municipal land, managed to thrive unnoticed.
That is until Friday 23 January, when a huge billowing cloud hung over the area attracting attention to the illegal activities of people burning tyres (to get to the metal that they sell to scrap metal dealers in town).
On that same night, the George Fire Department doused the fire, which burned in close proximity of the so-called Groeneweide Park farmers. The community lives between
Groeneweide Park suburb (to the west of George), the N2, the George Show Grounds and the George municipal landfill site. The road leading to where the community lives was at one time used to get to Herold's Bay and to the farming area. AfriForum George Chairman Tinus Nortje, who has been following the unfolding saga of constant tyre burns, went to investigate with a George journalist in tow on 27 January.
The two investigators were astonished to stumble upon 40 pig farmers who live cheek to jowl in neat camps made from crate planks. One of the farmers, Paul Booysen, explained that he rears the piglets and then delivers them to Hoekwil where they are raised and fattened for slaughter.
They receive regular donations of vegetables for feed.
Although their smallish wooden huts appeared orderly, the sight of five escaped piglets scavenging and grazing on a huge pile of household refuse was off-putting. Apart from three heaps of dumped tyres, a pile of old, used computer parts and instruction manuals were also found nearby. The remote municipal land is hard to negotiate and leads out of Groeneweide Park across an area that looks like farmland. In the distance the George municipal dump can be seen. It would seem that when people are turned away from the George municipal dump, they dump the tyres at the land near Groeneweide Park (no tyres are allowed to be dropped off at the dump). The Syferfontein community has allegedly been involved in tyre burning.
When asked whether they are aware of the illegal farming activities, the George Municipality, via Media Liaison Officer Chantel Edwards-Klose, said, "The Department of Environmental Affairs is in the process of acting against the trespassers in terms of the relevant municipal by-laws. Although it is not a municipal function, the municipality is playing a facilitative role and is identifying land for keeping pigs in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture." The municipality promised to inform Redisa about the dumped tyres so that they can remove it.
Paul was the only pig farmer who was at home during our inspection tour. There are rainwater tanks and vegetable scraps get delivered for pig feed. The entire community of 40 farmers is camped off with wooden planks and crate planks were also used to build their homes. Photos: Pauline Lourens
ARTICLE: PAULINE LOURENS, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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