EFF to ask Land Bank how Modise got loan for cannibal pig farm

The EFF has expressed disgust at National Council of Provinces Chairperson Thandi Modise’s negligence regarding her farm.

"It is despicable and extremely negligent for anyone to leave animals of whichever kind to suffer to the extent that animals at Thandi Modise’s animal farm suffered, particularly the extent that animals had to feed of each other’s carcasses for survival," The EFF said in a statement.

It also expressed outrage at the fact that Modise, got a loan from the landbank when she was North West's premier.

"The EFF will write to the Land Bank to ask for an explanation on why a sitting Premier of a Province could be given a loan to buy a farm, when there are many other agricultural practitioners and small scale black farmers who need the funding more than sitting Premiers," the party said.

"Of course as a politician and full-time Premier, Thandi Modise did not need the farm, hence she handled its management with the negligence that resulted in animals eating each other’s carcasses. But because of greed, and the drive for self-accumulation that defines the political party she comes from, she went ahead to buy a farm with a government loan and neglected the farm afterwards," the party said.

"We will table this matter for discussion in Parliament because at all times, we should nip in the bud occurrences of what appears to be political patronage and self-enrichment of politicians," The EFF said.

The Sunday Independent reported that Modise bought the multi-million-rand farm Modderfontein, near Potchefstroom, North West, around three years ago.

The remaining 85 pigs on the farm had begun cannibalising the 58 dead pigs, and were reportedly drinking their own urine. Sheep, geese, goats and ducks had also died on the farm.

According to Modise the farm's workers had abandoned it without notice, leaving the animals to starve.

"Basically there was no food and no water. There were dead animals in the process of decomposing. We also found animals that were in such bad shape they were about to die," Senior inspector for the national SPCA task team, Andries Venter said.