The stand-off between two commercial farmer unions and minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Lulu Xingwana continues, the three parties said on Wednesday.
Tensions between the unions, AgriSA and the Transvaal Agricultural Union (TAU), and the minister have been brewing since last year.
The unions lashed out at her after she commented last year that violence against women and children is rife in the sector and accused farmers of inhumanely evicting workers.
The unions asked for evidence of this and have since reported the matter to the Human Rights Commission.
On Friday the two unions representing most of the country’s commercial farmers walked out of a meeting with Xingwana, leaving her to discuss agriculture with the National African Farmers’ Union and smaller farm labour organisations.
The meeting was called to discuss ”issues of mutual interest for the betterment of agriculture”, but according to Xingwana the two unions demanded to meet with her alone without the other unions.
Lourie Bosman, president of AgriSA and TAU general manager Bennie van Zyl said that since Friday’s meeting there has been no further arrangement for talks.
Bosman said: ”We have had discussions within the union but nothing has been finalised.”
He said the union still needs to meet with the minister and discuss the ”accusations she made against farmers”.
Van Zyl said TAU had written two letters to the minister and President Thabo Mbeki after the meeting on Friday.
”We did not get any response; she is just silent.”
He said Xingwana should first discuss with the unions why she kept ”falsely accusing” farmers before trying to discuss any other issues regarding agriculture.
”She should be much more responsible than just attack farmers and call them, among other things, rapists.
”She knows those accusations are not true,” said van Zyl.
The department’s spokesperson, Eddie Mulaudzi, said no meeting had been scheduled between the parties yet.
”The minister has been very busy but she will meet them; she has to talk to them.”
He said there is a strategy the department is working on to tackle abuse of farm workers but it has not yet been finalised. — Sapa