Cape Town-Former North West Premier Thandi Modise has denied media report by City Press and its sister paper Rapport that alleges that she was warned about potential crisis on her Modderfontein farm outside Potchefstroom.
Thandi Modise had as a new entrant to farming requested for contacts from whom she could source feed and appreciates greatly the expertise advice and valued support that Agri-North West Management gave her after she had shared with them her frustration in sourcing feed and selling her livestock.
“The allegation that Modise was warned of a potential crisis on her farm by the organisation is farfetched and a misrepresentation of facts as its involvement was limited to getting her in touch with contacts from whom she could source feed and sell her meat” NCOP chair spokesperson Neo Moepi said.
Moepi said it is unfortunate that an impression is being created that Modise ignored warning from the organisation, animal feeding specialists and individual farmers some of whom had not even spoken to her.
“It is common knowledge and a standard business practise that an indication by a first time supplier that feed supplied would last for two weeks is not necessarily a warning, but a tacit attempt by the seller to secure the next order” Moepi said.
Modise and her farm manager were not captive clients and cannot be blamed by a supplier for their loss of business and for exercising their discretion of sourcing feed from another supplier at a reasonable price.
The former Premier was upfront in confiding to the Agri-North West Management that as an emerging farmer, she could not rely on support from the Provincial Department of Agriculture as any assistance she received would have been misconstrued and interpreted by her detractors to be preferential treatment given the position she held in the provincial administration.-TDN
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