Heritage Cases

for sisal cultivation and the Madikwe Sisal Trust and the Madikwe Sisal Cooperative were created to govern the operations of the project. The project again ceased to operate in 2009 when the sisal suitable for harvesting was less than that required for a profitable business. In 2010, the North West Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism (DEDECT) commissioned the CSIR’s ECD unit to develop a business plan for the revival of the project. This process indicated that for the business to be viable, it would require the sisal plantation to have a minimum extent of 600 ha, which should be developed over a period of three years. Only the nursery will be irrigated, with irrigation water proposed to be abstracted from one onsite borehole. The Madikwe Sisal Project site is situated on the farm Toelanie, adjacent to the village of Madikwe approximately 90 kilometres north-west of Rustenburg in the North West Province. It is approximately 1 200 ha in extent, of which 870 ha has been demarcated for the cultivation of sisal. Originally established in 1967, the farm ceased to be viable in 1979 when the competition from man-made fibres such as polyester led to a dramatic drop in demand for sisal. In 2002, a decision was taken to re-establish the project. In the ensuing years leading up to the re-launch of the project in August 2006, a number of development activities were undertaken, leading to the re-establishment of a 250 ha cultivation site, a 20 ha nursery and a fibre processing factory. An agreement was reached with local farmers for the use of the land To achieve the establishment of a 600 ha sisal plantation, it will be necessary to re-establish the 10 ha nursery, de-bush and plough approximately 400 ha of uncultivated land, and to de-bush and re-establish approximately 200 ha of land currently under sisal considered unsuitable for sisal fibre production. The time period for the establishment of the nursery and plantation is three years and if the business proves successful further expansion to 870 ha will be considered.