De Jager rolls with the punches
Dr Theo de Jager, well known for his work in land reform and rural transformation, was voted out as deputy president of AgriSA and replaced by Dan Kriek (president of Free State Agriculture) at the association's annual congress recently. De Jager remains chairperson of AgriSA's General Affairs Chamber and head of the Transformation Committee.
Theo de Jager. Photo: FW Archive.
Did you anticipate that you would be voted out at the AgriSA congress?
No, I didn't see it coming. Although, in hindsight, there were a few people who tried to warn me. It's easier to take a blow if you are braced, but I take comfort in what Mohammad Karaan said to me before the elections: "Sometime during your career as a farmers' leader you will be sacrificed, there's nothing you can do about that. What you can do something about is what you are sacrificed for."
The greatest moment of my career in organised agriculture, until now, was when the land reform proposal plan was adopted by all the affiliations of Agri SA. It seemed that the day of general agreement would never come, particularly as some parties showed fierce opposition to the plan only a few weeks prior to the congress. So it was inspirational and enlightening to see the plan adopted. And even better to harvest the fruit of that when Minister Gugile Nkwinti [Department of Rural Development and Land Reform] wholeheartedly accepted the very first properly mandated plan we presented to him.
Read the full story on http://www.farmersweekly.co.za/.
Source: Farmer's Weekly
Farmer’s Weekly has a long and proud history of serving South Africa’s agricultural industry. Throughout the years, Farmer’s Weekly has been a clarion for South Africa’s farming community and, the magazine remains fully committed to its original undertaking – the advancement of the interests of farmers and their industry.
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