Employees at Mauluma Farming Enterprise 1938 (Pty) Ltd in Levubu say that, although they continue reporting for duty, they have been paid a salary of only R1,000 for the past two months – a fraction of their wages.
The company employs 113 permanent workers and supports about 600 beneficiaries through its operations.
“We are suffering because we cannot make ends meet,” said Livhuwani Mudau, a worker at the farm. Mudau, who has worked there since 2007, said he had never experienced a situation like this before.
“We used to be paid properly. But for the past two months we received [almost] nothing. This month we got only R1,000. We have not been told when we will receive the rest of our money. One of my two children is at university and I still have to travel to work every day,” he said.
Workers continue reporting for duty because they fear losing their jobs. They also alleged that the farm's electricity had been disconnected by the municipality, raising concerns about the company's financial position.
Azwitameli Ramukhesa, who has worked at the farm since 2017, said workers spend about five hours a day tending the banana and macadamia orchards.
“Before our working hours were reduced, we earned about R3,200 a month, and sometimes around R2,900. Since 2023, our income has been declining. We are told there is no money, yet the farm is still producing and selling,” he said.
In response, Bethuel Ravele, secretary of the Ravele Communal Property Association, the holding entity of the farm, said that workers had received only one-third of their monthly wages for May and June. He said the same arrangement would continue in July because of cash-flow problems.
Ravele said workers had been informed of the financial difficulties during meetings held on 19 May, 1 June and 2 July. He attributed the crisis to the long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, rising production costs, global conflicts that had driven up fuel and input prices, heavy rainfall that damaged this year's macadamia crop, and a sharp decline in macadamia prices.
According to Ravele, the farm cultivates 227 hectares of macadamia nuts, 54 hectares of avocados, 38 hectares of bananas and nine hectares of litchis.
“The price of macadamia nuts had fallen from about R110 per kilogram to around R22 per kilogram, placing severe financial pressure on the business,” he said.
Ravele said the company had applied to the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for recapitalisation support and was negotiating with Standard Bank for short-term bridging finance. He did not say when workers could expect to receive their outstanding wages.