Chairperson, thank you Minister for your elaborate response. Our concern has been about the abuse by farmers that has been taking place on farms. We are happy that there are steps that have been taken. Thank you.
Minister, ons glo dis verkeerd om Stellenbosch in hierdie geval uit te sonder. Stellenbosch verskil nie van die res van die land nie.
Huisvesting is sekerlik een van die kernkwessies wat hier ter sprake is. Terwyl dit die regering se grondwetlike verantwoordelikheid is om toegang tot voldoende huisvesting vir almal te verseker, is die vraag of die regering die afgelope jare sy plig nagekom het om behuising vir plaaswerkers te voorsien. Die vraag is ook in watter mate boere finansieel ondersteun was om behuising vir plaaswerkers te voorsien. Indien nie, hoe beplan die regering om toekomstige huisvesting vir plaaswerkers te verseker, ter bevrediging van boere sowel as plaaswerkers? Ek dank u. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr P J C Pretorius: Hon Minister, we believe it is wrong in this case to single out Stellenbosch. Stellenbosch does not differ from the rest of the country.
Housing is surely one of the key issues that is relevant here. Whilst it is the government's constitutional obligation to ensure access to adequate housing for all, the question remains whether the government has fulfilled its obligation to provide housing to farmworkers in recent years. The question is also to what extent farmers were supported financially to provide housing to farmworkers. If not, how does the government intend to ensure housing for farmworkers in the future, to the satisfaction of farmers as well as farmworkers? I thank you.]
The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Chairperson, I have explained that we are looking at all farmworkers in the country. But since the protest was from farmworkers in the Stellenbosch area, we are focusing on this area. We agree that Stellenbosch does not differ from other areas. At least for now the member is acknowledging that there is abuse. In the past, they even refused to acknowledge that such abuse existed. I am glad that at last the member is acknowledging that there is abuse. [Applause.] About the development of housing on farms, a farm happens to be private property. The state has no legal opportunity to develop state housing on private property unless farmers allow a certain section of the farm to be rezoned as housing land. The state has no legal right to develop housing on the land of the private property of farm owners. Up until now, particularly white farm owners have been reluctant to give up land for the development of housing by the state.
The approach we are developing now with the Minister of Human Settlements is to request different organisations that organise farm owners to allow us to cordon off and to rezone a piece of land from farms which are privately owned to ensure that we can establish housing villages which will be in the form of eco-villages for farmworkers. I think that the state has had no opportunity to do this. Where there is private property, there is limited opportunity available for the state to intervene. You would notice that where there were farm schools, those farm schools were treated as public schools on private property. The state had limited opportunity to even renovate those schools since they belonged to the owner of the farm as private property. [Interjections.] Thank you. [Time expired.]
Hon Minister, I wanted to ask you whether the department has plans to create agrivillages in the Stellenbosch area. Obviously, from what you are saying, you've moved in that direction. How will this address the abuse of farmworkers?
Obviously it is much easier to deal with abuse if it is specified and if we know what is classified as abuse. Do you foresee a situation where farmworkers will ever be able to access something like the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, CCMA, or some other mediation process? What thoughts have gone along these lines, and how do you see that developing? Thank you.
The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Chairperson, thanks to the hon Dudley for once again acknowledging that there is a problem of abuse of farmworkers. I have already spoken about agrivillages.
Yes, farmworkers do have access to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, CCMA, but they are more often than not denied this access because of their low standard of living and low opportunities. This is a matter that we are developing with the Department of Labour to ensure that where there are cases that should be reaching CCMA, we assist farmworkers through legal aid.
We are also looking at the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to investigate the opportunities of having community development workers assisting farmworkers when it comes to their rights. The basic rights of farmworkers are still being undermined. The rights of farmworkers are human rights which are being neglected. When we speak about human rights, we often neglect to mention the rights of farmworkers. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, I am happy that the Minister mentioned that they are working together with the Department of Labour and its Minister. I just wonder whether the rescue package that the Minister explained is also applicable to farmworkers in terms of their plight on the farms. Maybe the Minister must comment on this issue.
The second issue I want to mention is the matter of abuse. Is the abuse of farmworkers viewed in a very serious light? If abuse has happened, we would like to see a proper investigation around what actually happened to that particular farmworker. We want to know the facts about it.
More importantly, I am also happy that the Minister mentioned that they are looking at this problem nationally. We wonder whether the Minister will accept the issue of actually having a proper independent investigation, because farmworkers are at the heart of nation-building as well. This is an issue about having a commission to make sure that we understand the whole problem as a country and understand how to deal with these particular instances - an independent commission that government will put together to investigate this matter holistically and then table its findings. Thank you.
The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Chairperson, the Human Rights Commission and the Department of Police have been included in this initial investigation. We do not have a rescue package for farmworkers, but we have one for historically disadvantaged farmers who took loans through the Land Bank. The rescue package for now pertains specifically to the Land Bank farms that are in distress.
Once we have done our preliminary findings, we will then be able to appoint a commission which will then be able to work with specific instructions and with a particular mandate. We cannot just immediately and summarily appoint a commission without a specific mandate. We are convinced that such a commission is required. I do not think that after 15 years we can still say that this evil of abuse against the poorest of the poor is still being perpetuated. I thank you. [Applause.]
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