African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma passionately addressed thousands of workers at a May Day celebration in the North West on Thursday, saying that rural development was key to fighting poverty.
”Many of them work long hours for poverty wages. Women in particular, who form the majority of residents in rural areas, face the burden of poverty more than men, especially in the former homelands and bantustans,” Zuma told workers who had gathered inside the James Motlatsi stadium in Orkney, near Klerksdorp.
He said the ANC adopted a resolution in Polokwane that all its branches would work together with government agencies and civil society to promote the rights of farm workers and to ensure the implementation of laws that protect farm workers and dwellers.
He said the land redistribution programme had not achieved the results initially envisioned.
”We have only succeeded in redistributing 4% of agricultural land since 1994, while more than 80% of agricultural land remains in the hands of fewer that 50 000 farmers and agri-businesses.
”We resolved in Polokwane to redistribute 30% of the land by 2014 and to provide subsistence farming and food security, while maintaining a productive agricultural sector.”
He said access to land for subsistence farming was critical as people should be able to plough and produce food to combat the impact of increased food prices.
He said he had met with some sections of the white farming community and they were supportive of the land reform programme as well as broad-based black economic empowerment.
The energy crisis, food security and crime also negatively affected workers.
”We have said that the energy crisis should be seen as an opportunity and not as an adversity. It is an opportunity for us to begin to use electricity in a more cost-efficient manner. We also expect investment in new energy infrastructure to help create more jobs.
”We have therefore called for an national energy summit to look at a constructive way of dealing with the electricity crisis.”
He said all workers had a responsibility to fight crime.
”Today we call upon our people to stop buying stolen goods and to influence all those who do, to stop.”
Earlier, South African Communist Party (SACP) secretary general Blade Nzimande said workers needed to support the call to disband the Scorpions.
”The Scorpions have changed into a political organ pursuing a political agenda.”
Nzimande said there was an intelligence report which indicated that the Scorpions were involved in illegal activity.
”They sit and plan for the ANC conference, we do not have to convince the media that the Scorpions must go, but we only have to convince you, the workers,” he said to loud applause.
Congress of South African Trade Unions acting president Sdumo Dlamini also addressed the gathering and said he was saddened to hear about the mining accident in the North West where nine miners lost their lives on Thursday. – Sapa