Western Cape agriculture MEC Gerrit van Rensburg has urged participation in efforts to prevent a recurrence of violence in the agricultural sector.
|||Cape Town - Western Cape agriculture MEC Gerrit van Rensburg on Monday urged participation in efforts to prevent a recurrence of last year's violence in the agricultural sector.
He invited labour unions to participate by telling the Future for Agriculture and Rural Economy (Fare) panel how they saw the future of agriculture and how they believed the problems should be addressed.
“The Fare process is an important part of the Western Cape province's 12-point plan for addressing the underlying problems which contributed to the violent unrest in 2012,” Van Rensburg said.
The Fare panel consisted of an independent group of experts under the leadership of Judge Antonie Gildenhuys and Venette Klein.
Among other things, the 12-point plan included investigating new housing models, training courses to use high-tech equipment, and investment in sport opportunities for farm workers.
“The Fare aims to understand the root causes of the unrest of 2012, and establish a shared vision for the Western Cape agricultural sector taking it into the future,” Van Rensburg said.
Violent strikes broke out in the Western Cape last year, particularly in the De Doorns area, when farmworkers went on strike for higher wages and better living conditions.
Sapa