Vrede Dairy Project

The Vrede Dairy Project is a South African dairy project established in 2012 on Krynaauwslust Farm, near the town of Vrede (Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality), Free State Province. The dairy was established as a public-private partnership with Estina, a Black Economic Empowerment company, as part of the Free State provincial government's agricultural project, Mohoma-Mobung.[1][2] Estina was given the land under a free 99 year lease.[3]

The aim of the R250m dairy project was to empower black farmers, but bank statements show that no payments were made to black beneficiaries. The dairy farm was just a shell through which money was sent to India.[4]

On 14 January 2022, the Premier of the Free State Sisi Ntombela handed over the project to 65 local farmers for management and implementation, with oversight from a trust and executive team.[5]

  1. ^ "Premier promises more jobs". Free State Online. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  2. ^ "2014/15 Estimates of Provincial Revenue & Expenditure: VOTE 11 – Department of Agriculture and Rural Development" (PDF). National Treasury of South Africa. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference seized was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Holy cow! Bank statements reveal how Free State government paid Guptas over R330m for Estina dairy farm". news24.com. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  5. ^ Evans, Julia (14 January 2022). "Vrede Dairy: Empowerment project finally handed over to farmers". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 15 January 2022.