Limpopo, South Africa – Farmers at Den Staat farm spend some nights in a contest with elephants that they cannot win for long. Smallholders there have improvised noisy and smoky defenses to protect crops that bring in income. The approach is practical, but the results are uneven. Den Staat is a farm where the stakes are personal as well as agricultural ([1]).
A fight that started with a torch
Joeman Moyo, who looks after a plot of 5 hectares, or about 12.4 acres, described one recent night in blunt terms. “Last night we had a very big fight with an elephant in our tomato field,” he said. He lit a torch to drive the animal away, but it returned as soon as the light was put out.
Burning a tire gave him little more time. Once the fire died down, the elephant came back to the field. Moyo’s account captures a pattern that many farmers on the land know well: the animals leave under pressure and then reappear when the pressure eases.
Tins, wires and fire
Farmers rely on whatever materials they have at hand. Their methods include:
- Beating metal tins to create noise
- Hanging empty white plastic containers on wires
- Lighting fires and burning tires
None of these measures has proved dependable on its own. Elephants tend to return once the noise stops or the flames die down, which means someone must stay alert through the dark hours and keep the routine going. For households that depend on a few hectares of crops, a single missed night can mean lost produce.
Land returned after forced removals
The farm carries a history that shapes how residents see the conflict. Den Staat is land reclaimed by a community whose members and ancestors were affected by forced removals under apartheid. The farm was returned to the Machete community in 2010, and it is now held collectively through a Community Property Association.
Today more than 160 people live on the farm. Residents say elephants are their biggest concern because they are the most destructive animals they encounter, and the threat arrives most often after dark.
A standoff that continues
The story at Den Staat is less about a single victory than about a long, unresolved routine. Drums, tins and fire can buy a few hours, but they have not settled the problem for farmers who want to harvest what they plant. For now, the tomato field remains a place where people and elephants take turns.
