The deputy minister in the presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, has hit back at accusations made by the chairperson of the Izwi Labantu Forum (ILF), Norma Mbatha, regarding challenges faced by black farmers in the country.
This comes after Sunday World had published an article on Wednesday, where Mbatha had written a letter to Deputy President Paul Mashatile, complaining about Mhlauli.
Mbatha stated on Monday that Mhlauli had allegedly failed black farmers regarding actions needed to be implemented following the march on January 29. The black farmers had marched to Union Buildings to hand over the memorandum to the presidency concerning their challenges, which they claimed that the government was not addressing.
On Wednesday night, Mhlauli told Sunday World that the memorandum submitted by ILF during the march to the Union Buildings on January 29 was formally received and acknowledged by her on the day.
ILF ‘acting in bad faith’
“At the point of receipt, a clear commitment was made to convene a follow-up meeting within seven working days to engage on the issues raised. This commitment was honoured, and a meeting was held on 6 February 2026 between government representatives and members of ILF. During this meeting, the government provided a comprehensive response to each of the demands contained in the memorandum. At the conclusion of that engagement, the Forum requested seven days to consider and respond to the government’s inputs,” said Mhlauli.
The deputy minister accused ILF of acting in bad faith, as she stated that the requested seven-day period for feedback was not met by the forum.
“It had further been agreed that a follow-up meeting would take place within a month of the 6 February engagement; however, this timeline was also not met, as there was no further communication from the forum during that period. A subsequent response was later received from the forum confirming their willingness to re-engage, which led to the scheduling of a formal follow-up meeting on 7 April 2026.
“In addition, the acting deputy director-general of the department of rural development has been in constant communication with representatives of the forum, including during periods where there was no response from their side, requesting them to indicate their willingness to engage further. Records of this ongoing engagement are available,” she said.
Visits to Northern Cape
Mhlauli added that the officials from her office have also undertaken a visit to the Northern Cape, where they met with affected farmers, listened to their concerns, and conducted two site visits to better understand the issues on the ground.
“This was part of a commitment I made on the 6 February engagement to have a follow-up engagement with the Northern Cape farmers. In addition, I personally maintained communication with individual farmers and provincial representatives from the North West and KwaZulu-Natal in particular, who have continued to engage directly. The last of such communication was this past week. There is a verifiable record of this ongoing interaction,” she said.
Consistent effort to engage
Mhlauli also said that she remains fully committed to working towards resolving the issues raised by the farmers, citing that all the matters are extensive and require careful, case-by-case consideration to ensure that responses are appropriate, lawful, and sustainable.
“Government remains seized with the work of land restitution and redistribution, and this remains a priority area of focus. The assertion that as a deputy minister, I am not interested in addressing the issues raised is not supported by the sequence of events as outlined above.
“From the outset, there has been a clear and consistent effort to engage, including meeting within the agreed seven-day period, providing detailed responses to the memorandum, and maintaining ongoing communication through multiple official channels. We are therefore taken aback that the forum has chosen to approach the media in the midst of these ongoing engagements. We view this action as regrettable, unfortunate, and borders on bad faith, particularly given the sustained efforts made to engage constructively,” said Mhlauli.
Mbatha said: “Government officials and politicians are in a toxic relationship with the people, and when people react, they play victim. They think we are playing games. Nonceba said nothing until this letter we sent on March 10. Then her head of department, Mandisa Mbele, called me saying they are working hard on this matter. Nonceba invited the Northern Cape farmers, which is her province, and we distanced ourselves from that visit as it was not a visit towards the collective of the farmers that marched to the Union Building. It is alleged that she met with other associations and other farmers, which she was not addressing the demands at hand and the cases submitted to the deputy president through her.”
- Deputy Minister Nonceba Mhlauli refuted allegations by Norma Mbatha of the Izwi Labantu Forum (ILF) that black farmers’ concerns post-January 29 march were ignored by the government.
- Mhlauli confirmed formal receipt of the farmers' memorandum and held a follow-up meeting on February 6, providing detailed responses to the demands.
- The ILF did not meet agreed deadlines for feedback and follow-up meetings, prompting Mhlauli to accuse the forum of acting in bad faith despite ongoing efforts to engage.
- Officials, including Mhlauli, visited the Northern Cape for site visits and consultations with farmers, maintaining active communication with farmers from multiple provinces.
- Mbatha criticized government engagement as insufficient and fragmented, distancing the ILF from certain official visits and accusing authorities of not addressing the collective demands.
On Wednesday night,
“At the point of receipt, a clear commitment was made to convene a follow-up meeting within seven working days to engage on the issues raised.
“It had further been agreed that a follow-up meeting would take place within a month of the 6 February engagement; however, this timeline was also not met, as there was no further communication from the forum during that period. A subsequent response was later received from the forum confirming their willingness to re-engage, which led to the scheduling of a formal follow-up meeting on 7 April 2026.
"In addition, the acting deputy director-general of the department of rural development has been in constant communication with representatives of the forum, including during periods where there was no response from their side, requesting them to indicate their willingness to engage further. Records of this ongoing engagement are available,” she said.
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“Government remains seized with the work of land restitution and redistribution, and this remains a priority area of focus.
"From the outset, there has been a clear and consistent effort to engage, including meeting within the agreed seven-day period, providing detailed responses to the memorandum, and maintaining ongoing communication through multiple official channels. We are therefore taken aback that the forum has chosen to approach the media in the midst of these ongoing engagements. We view this action as regrettable, unfortunate, and borders on bad faith, particularly given the sustained efforts made to engage constructively,” said
