The difficulty in implementing policies designed to protect the interests of farm workers and farmers has prompted the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to conduct an inquiry into conditions on farms.
SAHRC spokesperson Vincent Moaga said on Tuesday that public hearings on farm conditions would look into three issues: land-tenure security, labour relations and safety on farms.
He said although the policy objectives around these legislative changes were laudable, it could be argued that the unintended consequence has created more strife and has left farmers more defensive and farm workers worse off.
”The policy changes that did occur in the agricultural sector include the inclusion of farm workers into the Labour Relations Act of 1995, and the promulgation of legislation such as the Sectoral Determination for Farm Workers, Extension of Security of Tenure Act of 1997 and Labour Tenants Act of 1996,” he said.
He said the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act of 1996 meant that farmers were increasingly pressured by both internal and external global forces in order to remain competitive.
”To a large extent these policies were designed to create equity, a more commercially viable agricultural sector and to protect the interests of both farm workers and farmers,” he said.
The contradiction, however, was that farmers were forced to make use of labour-saving technology to become more competitive whilst at the same time being expected by the state to provide the social welfare tab for farm workers.
Secondly, many, if not all, of these policies designed to protect the interests of farm workers and farmers have been difficult to implement and enforce in the agricultural sector.
The public hearings would continue until Thursday. — Sapa