30 January 2007
The South African Communist Party (SACP) is seriously concerned and disturbed by the conduct and behavior of the Transvaal Agricultural Union and agri-SA in relation to land and agrarian transformation in our country.
This conduct confirms what we have always said as the SACP that, most white farmers will do everything in their power to frustrate and sabotage any attempt to transform land and agriculture in line with the objectives of a democratic society like ours. As the SACP we reiterate our position that if needs be the government should confisicate land so that we are able to meet our target of transferring land to the poor and the landless.
We need to remind TAU, Agri - SA and others who are opposed to land and agricultural transformation in our country that state led apartheid days are gone, and so should its entire legacy, including the amassing of land by minority in our country.
We have worked in the land sector for a considerable period of time now to know the extent of oppression the farm workers and dwellers face on daily basis, we have engaged through legal avenues to protect some of the farm dwellers who have been evicted from their place of residence of almost three decades, we know their dire plight at the hands of ruthless white farmers.
If the farmers remain intransigent they will have to face the might of the oppressed farm workers and dwellers when they feel they have had enough of this oppression in a democratic dispensation. The farmers have failed to oblige with the sectoral determination to pay basic minimum wages to farm workers, they continue to fail to provide humane living places for the workers and in some areas they still practice the tot system. This un-acceptable behaviour has gone too far for too long and these thankless farmers still have the audacity to want to protect this horrible and inhumane behaviour and conduct against the people working and staying in the farms.
The SACP is to intensify its programme on transformation of the land and agrarian sector in order for the sector to meet the basic food security needs of all our people, whilst at the same time ensuring that farm workers and farm dwellers´ rights are respected and protected and it is on this basis that we are going to intensify the building of People´s Land Committees to assist our people to fight for their birthrights to land, food security and to better their lives from current inhuman treatment they receive at the hands of the farmers. We also call upon the South African Human Rights Commission to increase its work in the farm areas and deal with problems of human rights abuse.
It is in this regard that we agree with the Minister of Land Affairs that the pace of land reform is too slow and the farmers are to blame for this and not the Minister. We also call on her to remain firm in the fight against any form of oppression perpetuated against our people especially the right-less farm workers and farm dwellers.
Issued by: the SACP
CONTACT:
Malesela Maleka
SACP Spokesperson
Tel: 011 339 3621
Fax: 011 339 4244
Cell: 082 226 1802
Email: Malesela@sacp.org.za