A group of northern KwaZulu-Natal farmers, and members of the Landless People's Movement have decided to stop quarrelling with each other and will instead approach government jointly for their problems
to be solved, a facilitator in the process said on Saturday.

"These are people who have in the past faced each other with sticks and guns," said Dutch Reformed Church reverend Schalk Scott. "For the first time in my life I saw a change of attitude," he said.

Scott explained that black landless residents in the area were frustrated because their expectations of having their own land after the 1994 democratic elections had not been met.

At the same time, white farmers whose land had been flagged for a claim, could not secure bank loans, could not plant anything and were in a limbo and were accused of trying to evict people, he said.

Hostility between the two parties was high, he said. Scott said that he had not had much interaction with the black
residents of the area but then he met a Landless People's Movement leader Mongaliso Khubeka at a KwaZulu-Natal Council of Churches function.

The relationship had been uneasy at first, but after a while they believed they could facilitate some kind of agreement between the disagreeing parties.

Scott said a meeting was arranged for the LPM and the Agricultural District Union of Northern KwaZulu Natal in Newcastle for Friday night. "They realised that the problem is they don't know each other," said Scott.

After some talking, that they also decided that their problem is the system of land reform, and not each other, he said. Scott said they decided to put race aside and focus on working together to solve their problems and to ensure food for the people.

They decided that in future any approaches to the Land Affairs Department would be done jointly, and they have also formed a joint committee that will resolve any other disputes that arise within the community.

Neither a representative of the LPM nor the agricultural
organisation were immediately available to comment, but, said Scott: "We owe each other peace".