The severe decline of the controversial Khutso Naketsi farm in Skeerpoort has been escalated to the North West Provincial Legislature for action by the Democratic Alliance (DA).
This 1,923-hectare farm, once a showcase of commercial agricultural success under the management of Henning Pretorius, is now in a state of severe deterioration at the expense of the farmworkers, the local community, and the promise of land reform in South Africa.
“In 2019, the farm was sold to the state for R460 million with the aim of economically empowering 325 beneficiary families, stimulating job creation, and promoting food security in the region. That vision has, however, collapsed. Farming operations have ground to a halt, salaries are not being paid, and the infrastructure is decaying. Fertile lands are overgrown with weeds; pivots lie unused and deteriorating; and expensive agricultural equipment is rusting away – all clear signs of state failure,” said DA councillor Lizelle Stoltz.
Farmworkers protested for months earlier this year after the agreement with the former owners ended. Their salaries were not paid by the KNCPA after the end of the agreement. According to a post-settlement plan, HPN Boerdery, having built up the farm since 1978, was requested to assist and act in a mentorship capacity for five years. A company, Khutso Naketsi Agri (KNA), was registered to manage the farm. The KNCPA owns 70% of the company and HPN Boerdery 30%. According to the agreement, the arrangement would be valid for five years, whereafter the community could terminate the arrangement and buy the 30% shares held by HPN Boerderye.
“During the five years, HPN Boerderye was supposed to do skills transfer and teach the beneficiaries to farm, after which the company would buy out our shares,” said Stephan Pretorius of HPN Boerderye at the time.

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The company was supposed to be funded by the North West Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), which approved funding of R87 million in 2019. However, the full funding was never received. “The Khutso Naketsi Communal Property Association (KNCPA), to whom the management of the farm was entrusted, has failed in its mandate. The Department itself has also neglected to provide post-settlement funding or adequate monitoring and support. The consequences are clear: impoverished beneficiaries, rising unemployment, and a community abandoned. This case is not just a failure of land reform – it is a stark warning of what happens when political promises are not backed by competent implementation and transparency,” Stoltz said.