31 October 2003
The South African Communist Party (SACP) fully supports the demands of about 100 farm workers employed at the Roodepoort farm in Bergville, in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands. The SACP will join these workers in their assembly and march tomorrow to submit a memorandum to the farm owner. SACP structures in Bergville have been working with these workers, COSATU and the ANC to address their problems.
The Roodepoort farm workers are demanding basic respect and humane treatment following cases of racial abuse, victimisation, exploitativ working conditions and other problems.
The march will start at 12h30, Saturday, 01 November 2003, from the ANC Constituency Office, Bergville. The SACP General Secretary, Blade Nzimande, will address the assembly and march. The march will be joined by the local community and workers from surrounding farms who have similar problems and complaints.
This is part of the SACP's 2003 Red October Campaign which seeks to highlight the plight of farm workers in our country. Recently the SACP worked with SAAPAWU and the ANC to mobilise 1000 farm workers at the ZZ2 farm to demand their reinstatement after they were unfairly dismissed by the ZZ2 farm in the Limpopo Province for demanding that ZZ2 farm must comply with the new minimum wages set by law. The Roodepoort farm workers in Bergville face similar problems. These two cases are just a tipc of the iceberg.
The SACP calls on all farm workers to come forward and report cases of retrenchments, abuse, racism, beatings and unfair working and living conditions to the Department of Labour, trade unions and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
CONTACT
Themba Mthembu
SACP Provincial Secretary in KwaZulu Natal - 031 301 3806 or 083 303 6988
OR
Mazibuko Kanyiso Jara (surname Jara)
Department of Media, Information and Publicity
South African Communist Party
P.O. Box 1027,
Johannesburg, 2000
3rd floor, COSATU House,
1 Leyds Street,
Braamfontein,
2017
Tel - + 27 11 339 3621,
Fax - +27 11 339 4244/6880
Cell - +83 651 0271
Email - mazibuko@sacp.org.za