Johannesburg, South Africa
MINISTER VOWS TO TACKLE ABUSE OF FARM WORKERS
Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Lulu Xingwana and the agriculture ministers of the nine provinces have vowed to tackle the abuse of farm workers, her department said on Monday.
Xingwana met the provincial ministers in Pretoria to review their progress and outline their plans for the year.
Departmental spokesperson Tsotso Sehoole said that the minister and her provincial counterparts also were concerned about the evictions and murders on farms.
”It was agreed that there is an urgent need to engage with the safety and security cluster to ensure that it responds effectively to inhumane treatment and abuse of farm workers,” said Sehoole.
Provincial ministers spoke of farmers impounding livestock belonging to farm dwellers and refusing to allow them to bury their families on farms, or demolishing their homes and leaving them homeless.
Sehoole said more than 200 cases of abuse were reported in the Western Cape in the past two years.
The meeting also condemned the killing of farm workers and owners, and called on all stakeholders to come together to find a lasting solution to these challenges.
”The meeting highlighted that in some parts of the country there were positive developments where white commercial farmers have empowered previously disadvantaged communities and contributed towards alleviating poverty,” said Sehoole.
Dispute
On Friday, the two unions representing most of the country’s commercial farmers said they hoped President Thabo Mbeki would intervene in a dispute between them and 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. — Sapa