Farmers unite on property rights

It is remarkable how likeminded farmers on ground level are on principal matters that affect agriculture. To the contrary, it is incomprehensible that national agricultural organizations differ on the same principles. "It is as if national agricultural organizations have lost touch with farmers on ground level and therefore support pronouncements and policies that certainly are not supported by most farmers."

Those are TAU SA’s President, Mr. Louis Meintjes's comments after he returned from an information  tour jointly conducted by himself and  dr Frans Cronje of the Institute of Race Relations.  Towns in Gauteng, Northwest, Free State and KZN were visited during this extensive information tour.

Mr. Meintjes said that he was surprised by the determination of the farmers to continue with their operations, despite the severe drought which for a second consecutive year is having disastrous effects on agriculture. "This determination also manifested in their united refusal to negotiate over the ownership of their land. TAU SA's Agricultural Plan for Sustainability was received with great enthusiasm it being the appropriate direction for the way forward," said Mr Meintjes.

Mr. Meintjes that what he and dr Cronje warned against during the trip, was in fact discussed during the ANC conference the past weekend. "I listened to pres. Zuma's speech where he made it clear that the ANC together with the SACP, believe in socialism and communism and that they are working to implement it in South Africa.

The world has seen enough evidence in other countries of the disastrous effects of communism and especially on agriculture. "The farmers we met are standing strong on the free market principle as well as  the principle of private ownership. As part of free enterprise there should also be no enforced interference in the ownership of a farm, and therefore I can categorically state that the majority of farmers in South Africa in entirety reject the ANC's policy that farmers should give 50 percent of their farms  to the farm workers. This is the kind of communist interference that the ANC wishes to implement immediately, and the question must be asked whether South Africa is really different from other former communist states to survive a communist / socialist policy and government?" asks Mr Meintjes.

"Furthermore, I am very concerned about Mr Zuma's statement that there is no place for businesses in South Africa who do not support the ANC. In other words this means that the ANC's goodwill must be purchased in whatever manner to do business in South Africa. Should this be true. it makes the ANC the biggest crime syndicate in the country. This is a test for the integrity of the country's businesses: will they cheerfully accept it and pay attention to Mr Zuma’s statement or they will make their voices heard?" asks Mr Meintjes.

Mr. Meintjes has called on the entire agricultural value chain to openly and unequivocally speak out in favor of the free market economy, including private ownership. "Farmers need to support those same principles for the sake of their own survival. It cannot be expected from farmers to contribute to their own demise by adopting any form of politically correct land reform, or to give any percentage of their farms to their workers, or to let them form part of any social program that should be the reponsibility of the government.

Issued by TAU SA President Louis Meintjes, 12 October 2015