SACP supports FAWU march against retrenchment of farm workers at Sapekoe Tea Estates
27 October 2004
The South African Communist Party calls on the management and owners of the Sapekoe Tea Estates to stop the unilateral retrenchment of more than 5,000 farm workers in its Limpopo farms. To this end, the Communist Party will join the Food and Allied Workers' Union and the workers in a mass march to the Sapekoe head office in Polokwane (Pietersburg) on Thursday, 29 October.
The Sapekoe management has refused to sit down and talk with the workers to explore alternatives to retrecnhments. We call on government to use its stake in Sapekoe to force Sapekoe management to negotiate in good faith with the workers.
This Polokwane march will be followed by another mass march to AgriSA offices and to the banks in the Ermelo CBD, Mpumalanga province, on Saturday 30 October.
These marches are part of ongoing mass mobilisation activities by Communist Party provinces, districts and branches continuing to prepare for the National Day of Action for Land, Bread and Work on Saturday, 6 November.
In the last weekend, more than 50 mass meetings with farm workers and the landless were held across the country. These included People's and Farm Workers Tribunals, marches, pickets, leaflet blitzes and door-to-door work.
These activities continue to meet with a positive response from the landless, and related organisations.
Other activities taking place this weekend include:
1. Eastern Cape Province
- Friday, 29 October, 10h00 - Umzimkulu CBD, near Kokstad
- 27 to 29 October - lunch-hour pickets in front of FNB, Standard Bank, MEEG Bank and African Bank, Umtata CBD
- Friday, 29 October, 18h00 - mass meeting with the landless community of Lorraine, Lorraine Community School, Port Elizabeth
- Friday, 29 October, 10h00 - meeting with the National African Farmers' Union, Daku Hall, KwaZakhele, Port Elizabeth
- Saturday, 30 October, 10h00 - marching to the banks in the Queenstown CBD
2. Free State
- Saturday, 30 October, 10h00 - People's Tribunals with the landless and farm workers in Bloemfontein farms
3. Gauteng
- Saturday, 30 October, 10h00 - marching to the banks in the Randfontein CBD
- Friday, 29 October Blitz - 6am to 8am and 16h30 to 18h30 in Pretoria train station (Bosman Street)
4. KwaZulu-Natal
- Saturday, 30 October - door-to-door work to mobilise farm-workers and landless communities in Newcastle, eMadadeni township and Newcastle farms
- Saturday, 30 October, 10h00 - march in the Ladysmith CBD from Kandahari to offices of uThukela Farmers' Union
5. Mpumalanga
- Saturday, 30 October - Provincial March to AgriSA offices and to the banks in the Ermelo CBD
6. Limpopo Province
- Thursday, 28 October - a march to Sapekoe Tea Estates, Pietersburg against the retrenchment of more than 4,000 farm workers employed by Sapekoe
- Friday, 29 October - picketing at the SAPS offices in the Polokwane CBD against ill-treatment of farm workers
- Saturday, 30 October 2004 - Provincial Mass Rally at Dendron Farms, Blaauwberg, Polokwane
7. North West Province
- Wednesday, 27 October, 10h00 - People's Land Tribunal in Ventersdorp Community Hall, Ventersdorp township
- Saturday, 30 October - Mass rally of farm-workers and landless people, Nooitgedacht Farm, Klerksdorp
CONTACT
Mazibuko Kanyiso Jara (surname Jara)
Head of the Office of the General Secretary
South African Communist Party (SACP)
Tel: (011) 339-3621/2
Fax: (011) 339-4244
Cell: 083 651 0271
Email: mazibuko@sacp.org.za