A report entitled "Ripe with Abuse", released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) this past week has been the subject of much publicity and debate over the past week.
The report, compiled on the basis of interviews with 117 "current and former-farm workers" in the Western Cape fruit and wine industries (only about 85 of whom are current farm workers), paints a bleak picture of the living and working conditions in this sector.
The report was presented to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Rural Development and Land Reform this week, where questions were posed by MPs from all sides of the political spectrum about whether its findings could reasonably be extrapolated to the entire industry in the Western Cape province, which comprises some 6 000 farming enterprises and 121 000 farm workers.
The author of the report, Kaitlin Cordes, admitted that that her findings did not amount to a representative sample which could be used to generalise about the fruit and wine industry throughout the province, but argued that it was instead a qualitative picture of the lives of some of the farm workers she interviewed. In addition, the HRW spoke to only 14 farm owners in compiling this report.
It has also been difficult to ascertain how the interviewees in the report were identified, apart from Ms Cordes' acknowledgment that trade unions and civil society organisations facilitated her interactions with workers in the study. It is important for Ms Cordes and HRW to say what methodology was followed to determine whether these interviews represented a balanced and full picture of the fruit and wine industries in the Western Cape.
Certainly, the title alone "Ripe with Abuse" implies that these problems are widespread, yet no effort seems to have been made to ensure that the contents of the report are sufficiently representative to make such a claim.
Let me be quite clear: the DA believes that the mistreatment of even one farm-worker is one too many. It is essential that farm-workers who have been victims of abuse are encouraged and supported to lay complaints with the police so that the alleged abuses can be fully investigated, and those guilty of mistreatment brought to book.
It is also essential that these transgressors be prosecuted so that the criminal actions of a few are not allowed to tarnish the reputation of an entire industry on which over 100 000 South Africans are directly dependent for their livelihoods, and which is one of the cornerstones of South Africa's agricultural export market. Unless the contrary is demonstrated, we must conclude that the examples raised in the HRW report represent extreme and isolated cases within an otherwise sound agricultural sector in the province.
The authors of the report also met with Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Gerrit Van Rensburg, to discuss their findings. Minister Van Rensburg also expressed his and the Western Cape government's concern about the dire circumstances under which farm workers were alleged to be working. The Minister also urged Human Rights Watch to pass on to the police any available information about instances where laws are being transgressed, so that the alleged perpetrators can be brought to book.
It is disappointing for us to note the absence of any reference to positive interventions regarding farm workers in the HRW report. The Western Cape Department of Agriculture is unique in South Africa for being the only provincial department with a dedicated Farm Worker Development Programme, which has widespread active participation from all stakeholders in the sector. They also run a "Farmworker of the Year" competition which last year had over 1,000 entrants.
The Report also makes no reference to the Western Cape's Farmworker Forum, although Minister Van Rensburg is aware that some of its members were interviewed by HRW. This body regularly meets with Minister van Rensburg and has a direct line to him to discuss issues affecting farm workers in the Western Cape. One of the principles upon which the Western Cape Department operates is the need to speak with farm workers about their circumstances, not only about them.
In addition, the success of equity share schemes as a means of agricultural empowerment amongst farm workers in the Western Cape receives no mention in the report. The Western Cape is unique within the South African agricultural sector in this regard, with more than 90 of these schemes currently in operation, of which 90% are operating successfully. Equity share schemes are the only land reform model in South Africa in which farm workers are the direct beneficiaries of agricultural empowerment. This is in stark contrast to other land reform and agricultural empowerment initiatives elsewhere in the country. It is additionally disappointing that HRW did not pick up on this unique aspect of the farm worker environment in the Western Cape during the compilation of its report.
This said, we must and we do take all allegations of mistreatment seriously. We also need to ensure that the reputation of an entire industry -- comprising over 6 000 farms in the province -- is not tarnished by the abuses of a handful of employers. We will continue to call for co-operation to bring abuse perpetrators to book.
The DA is committed to building and advancing win-win partnerships between farmers and farm workers in South Africa. After all, millions of our citizens are dependent on the success and prosperity of the rural economy.
This article by Helen Zille first appeared in SA Today, the weekly online newsletter of the leader of the Democratic Alliance.
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