SACP Supports Government-led De Doorns Farm Dialogue as a step towards undoing the legacy of Natives Land Act of 1913!
Since farmworkers strike for wage increase from R65 to R150 per day, the structural problems of skewed land ownership, squalid living conditions, abuse of farm workers, racism and abject poverty have been exposed. The SACP continues to voice its support for the genuine demands of workers for a living wage and more broadly equitable land distribution and thus economic ownership!
The SACP notes the continuing government efforts through facilitating improvement of the conditions of employment of farmworkers as well as broad economic development opportunities in this area. The SACP supports government engagement with stakeholders that was once again convened on Saturday, 11 May 2013.
We further support the firm stance of the Department of Labour on imposing the minimum wage and rejecting the applications for exemption by farmers who only want to maximize profit at the expense of poor workers. Since the promulgation of the minimum wage of R105 per day over 600 farmers have applied for exemptions and the Department of Labour has rejected about 130 thus far! As the SACP we encourage the Department to reject all applications.
The long-term solution to the underlying socio-economic problem lies in the fundamental transformation of productive relations as part of undoing the legacy of land dispossession through the Natives Land Act of 1913. The SACP calls on the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to release the report on the Share Equity Schemes in the Western Cape, which have dismally failed. Land redistribution must be intensified to encourage producer cooperatives in the farming sector with better support, training, market access, value addition and subsidies to improve equitable land ownership and economic participation.
The SACP rejects the call by farmers for government to subsidise wages whilst farmers take massive profits.
We further reject the DA government's divisive tendencies of establishing parallel structures undermining the credible national government effort to solve existing problems in the farming sector and the table grape industry in particular.
We reject as disingenuous DA and commercial farmer's claims that crime is the main problem and undermining the genuine demands of farmworkers as a ploy by the ANC. We also reiterate that workers have a right to join unions to increase protection against prevalent super-exploitation, evictions, victimisation and abuse.
We applaud the farm workers Unions including FAWU for steadfastly refusing to be intimidated by farm bosses and the DA as representatives of foreign and domestic big business.
Issued by the Western Cape SACP
Statement issued by Khaya Magaxa, SACP Western Cape Provincial Secretary, May 12 2013
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