The two unions representing most of the country’s commercial farmers said they hope President Thabo Mbeki will intervene in a dispute between them and Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana.
AgriSA and TAU SA walked out of a meeting with Xingwana on Friday where they wanted to discuss tensions between them and her.
Xingwana was left discussing agriculture with the National African Farmers’ Union (Nafu) and smaller farm-labour organisations.
”We noted with concern the decision by AgriSA and TAU SA not to participate in the meeting,” she told reporters afterwards.
”The meeting deliberated on the challenges of eviction, abuse of farm workers; the recent incidences of farm murders; the review of the sector plan of the last year; access to farm schools, water and other basic services,” Xingwana said.
However, Lourie Bosman, president of AgriSA, said the minister had lured the farmers’ unions to the meeting under false pretences.
They wanted to discuss statements by Xingwana last year that violence against women and children was rife in the sector, as well as accusations that farmers inhumanely evicted workers.
”We wanted to clear the issue up with the minister, trying to find out why she seemingly generalised the issues and looked at evidence she had and possible ways of addressing it,” Bosman said.
He said when they arrived, they found several non-government organisations and others who were never part of the discussion before.
”We then asked the minister for 10 minutes before the meeting so that we could just clear up the agenda, but she refused, so we decided to leave,” Bosman said.
For her part, Xingwana said: ”It will set a terrible precedent where I would have to meet with AgriSA and TAU SA alone and chase away Nafu and others who are of critical importance in this sector.”
She said her door is open and that the department has bilateral relations with all unions. It will continue to meet them individually.
Bennie van Zyl, general manager of TAU SA, disputed this, saying his union has written to the minister 18 times since the end of September last year asking for individual meetings with her.
”She made generalisations, painting all farmers as human rights abusers, and this is a very serious issue we wanted to discuss with her,” Van Zyl said.
Asked about this, Xingwana said while she is prepared to meet the union, this specific issue has to be resolved by the South African Human Rights Commission. She pointed out that it was AgriSA and TAU SA who took the matter to the commission.
”We can’t have parallel debates on the same case … let us wait for the outcome,” she said.
Van Zyl said TAU SA has written another letter to Mbeki on the issue, and Bosman said AgriSA will take the issue up with him at the presidential working group on agriculture. — Sapa