Northern Province farm labourers are being constantly assaulted, accused of theft and fired for joining labour unions, a three-day human rights hearing in Pietersburg has been told.
The provincial Council of Churches initiated the hearings, which began on Monday, after receiving several complaints from labourers, particularly rural residents, of human rights abuses.
Four farm labourers claimed at the hearing that they were sacked for joining unions, unproven theft and protesting against being assaulted.
Pensioner Mamaila Masambo testified that she was fired three years ago as a domestic worker on a fruit farm after dogs from a neighbouring farm bit her. She had worked on the farm since the 1960s.
She claimed R160 was deducted monthly from her wages for the Unemployment Insurance Fund, but she never received any of the money.
The chairman of the hearings, Bishop Breytenbach, said he would ask either the SA Human Rights Commission, Public Protector or the Independent Complaints Directorate to investigate the farmworkers' complaints.