DE DOORNS UNREST - MAKING SENSE OF THE CHAOS

Farmers of the Hexriver Tablegrape Association (HTA) this morning will be delivering food to the people in the informal settlements in the Hexrivervalley.

Ten thousand bread loafs were ordered and will be distributed amongst the hungry people that were unable to work due to high levels of forced intimidation to protest. Shops were looted and owners forced to close business and no food was available during the past week. When asked why farmers are doing this when the very same people burned their property and threatened their families, they responded by saying that they know the people (especially the children) are hungry after a week of protest where they were prohibited from working and earning an income. Farmers have good relations with permanent and seasonal workers who work on their farms and cannot ignore the reality that people are hungry and need food.

What happened this week?

Looking back over the past week of unrest and chaos in De Doorns, it is not too difficult to see what actually transpired in the Hexrivervalley.

On Monday, a group of unruly vigilantes took to the streets, blocking off part of the N1 that runs through the Hexrivervalley, burning tyres, looting businesses and setting some vineyards alight. Farmers and farmworkers were threatened and intimidated to the extreme that workers were beaten off the farms and forced to join the unrest. They participated for fear of their lives and their families' safety.

Two farmworker houses were looted and also set on fire when some workers started working on one of the farms on Wednesday.

Who's responsible?

The initial crowd that gathered seemed leaderless and no-one took ownership of the chaos that erupted or the list of grievances that the workers apparently were protesting about. After Agri Wes-Cape called the faceless leaders to come to the fore so that we could have discussions with them about the grievances, it was interesting to notice that Bawsi, Cosatu, Woman on Farms Project and PASSOP came forward all claiming to speak on behalf of the protesters. None of these organisations are fully representative of the workforce in the area and they never approached farming bodies for discussions before the unrest took place.

List of demands

The list of demands from worker representatives included higher wages, improved living conditions, free electricity, an end to illegal evictions, illegal immigrant workers employed and the ban on labour brokers.

Agri Wes-Cape farmer representatives of the Hexrivervalley entered into discussions with "worker representatives" about the list of demands to try and come to some sort of agreement instead of continuing with the violence that preceded the talks.

The irony of this specific case is that the farmers in De Doorns and the rest of the Hexrivervalley pay workers above the prescribed minimum wage. The Department of Labour has done regular and intense inspections in the area, especially after the dreadful xenophobic attacks in 2009.

Housing facilities on farms exceed the required minimum and we are not aware of any illegal evictions that took place in the area. It is impossible to provide housing for thousands of seasonal workers and unrealistic to create the expectation that all workers have to be accommodated. No other industry or business sector is required to do so. In terms of immigrant workers, farmers can only employ immigrant workers whose paperwork is in order, as required by law. Labour brokers have a democratic right to run their businesses in compliance with the law and by demanding a ban on labour brokers, unions are preventing them from executing their rights.  

Two sides of the story

It is strange that workers are demanding better housing when they burn farm worker houses.

Workers demand higher wages, but burn vineyards at a cost that runs into millions of rands - the very same vineyards that provide the work in the first place.

Unions claim to fight for worker's rights, yet farm workers were beaten and threatened by the very same people that started the protest.

 Shops and businesses were looted and damaged - the very same that provided extra work and services to the community.

Perceptions and Realities

It is very clear that the general perception is that farm workers are all general workers. This could be the reason why the public is so perceptive to the projected plight of farm workers.

There are between twelve and fifteen different job categories on farms and career pathing is encouraged and actively pursued on farms. The Farmworker of the Year Competition is but one example of the active and dedicated development programmes for farmworkers in the Western Cape.

This year about one thousand (1000) workers in fifteen farming regions took part in the competition. The winners were announced last night at a function that could well have been prepared for royalty. The overall winner of the competition said in his acceptance speech that he is proud to be called a farmworker and that he is not ashamed to be working on a farm. This is in direct contradiction of the picture that unions are painting of farmworkers or is it simply because they know they only represent less than 6% of workers in the Western Cape and are trying to increase membership by resorting to this kind of behaviour and "perceived negotiations" with farming bodies ?

Looking forward

Agri Wes-Cape requested farmworkers to return to work because the table grape season is in full swing and lots need to be done to ensure a good harvest and income for the region. The Hexrivervalley employs about 5000 permanent workers and an additional 8000+ seasonal workers are required during season time. The Hexrivervalley is a large export region, earning foreign currency that boosts the economy in the Western Cape and the country.

Minister Gerrit van Rensburg stated on many occasions that if exports of agricultural products were to be increased by a mere 5%, it will add an additional R432 million to the economy in the province. This will stimulate more job opportunities, better living conditions for workers and ensure that the focus is placed on the right target - the development and growth of our province and our country.

Statement issued by Agri Wes-Cape CEO, Carl Opperman, November 10 2012

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