The most pervasive form of violence in farms is that against
black farmworkers

In memory of Nelson Chisale and a challenge to Agri-SA

By Blade Nzimande, General Secretary

The hammer and sickle is in full swing

The SACP election machinery is now in full swing! The hammer and sickle is
now unstoppable towards an overwhelming ANC election victory! Last weekend
the SACP intensified its election campaign in support of the ANC through a
number of activities. We focused on the mobilisation of farmworkers, and next
week we will be having our Red Thursday, 25 March 2004, focusing on industrial
workers.

On Thursday 11 March 2004 we visited the grave of our late Chairperson, Cde
Joe Slovo. We were pleased and honoured that that hero of our revolution, Cde
Nelson Mandela was the guest speaker at this ceremony. Cde Helena Dolny, the
widow of Joe Slovo, and senior alliance leadership, joined Cde Madiba.

During this ceremony we launched the Joe Slovo election trail, starting with
door-to-door work in Soweto and other parts of the country, culminating in
farmworkers forums, marches and mass meetings throughout the country. SACP
leaders and activists literally reached out to thousands of farmworkers. Included
in these activities was a march by hundreds of farmworkers in Utrecht to deliver
a COSATU memorandum. The memorandum amongst other things, demanded that the
police must scrupulously investigate all complaints by farmworkers against
violent abuse by farmers. (see www.cosatu.org.za)

The SACP in Limpopo organised mass meetings in Hoedspruit to express our solidarity
with farmworkers in that area in the wake of Nelson Chisale’s being thrown
alive into a lion’s den. We were moved by the commitment of workers in Richmon
Farm, near Hoedspruit, to work towards launching an SACP branch and naming
it after Nelson Chisale. Agri SA, representing most of the farmers in South
Africa protested that those who threw Chisale into a lion’s den were not farmers.
Frankly this is neither here nor there, as this captures the worst of what
workers in white-owned farms and rural hinterland are subjected to. It is to
this question of the farmworkers that we would once more like to return by
posing some challenges to AgriSA and all other farmers’ organisations.

Violence against black farmworkers

From our campaign with farmworkers, since October last year, we have come
to one major and disturbing conclusion. The most pervasive form of violence
in South African farms is that directed against black farmworkers. This is
largely racist violence perpetrated almost on a daily basis by a number of
white farmers against black farmwokers, including torture and murder. This
is not something new. The findings of the South African Human Rights Commission
and inspections by the Department of Labour reach the same conclusion. Yet,
AgriSA, supported by other (white) farmers’ organisations tend to speak only
crimes against farmers, but silent on those against workers. Even where they
mild speak about the latter, there is no systematic plan of action is in place
to combat this racist abuse and violence.

As the SACP we do not condone any form of violence, whether against farmers
or workers. But when one reads most of South African newspapers and listens
to parties like the Democratic Alliance, the New National Party and the Freedom
Front Plus, it is as if the most pervasive form of violence is that against
white farmers. Even more disturbing is the collusion between some senior white
police officers, sections of the justice system and some white farmers in many
parts of our country. As things stand now the justice system in the white farm
areas is heavily stacked against ordinary farmworkers.

What is happening in Utrecht, in northern KwaZulu Natal, captures this reality
most starkly. We marched, in soaking rain, together with farmworkers to protest
about the behaviour of the police. Never, since prior to 1994, had I witnessed
such hostility by black people against the police as I saw in this march. We
were also marching together with widows, orphans and the disabled whose partners
or parents were murdered by white farmers in the area. Even more disturbing
we were marching together with witnesses to murder, but who had not had an
opportunity to go to court to tell their story, because many police dockets
simply disappear. Yet, the workers told us, any threatening situation involving
a white farmer, a number of police vans would be immediately dispatched and
investigations would start without any delay. Throughout the country similar
stories are told repeatedly!

It is also for this reason that we call upon the Ministers of Safety and Security
and Justice to act swiftly to investigate and act on these matters. We challenge
AgriSA and other farmers’ organisations to act urgently on the Utrecht and
other cases, and fully co-operate with the police and take decisive action
against these racist and criminal activities.

As the SACP we are also deeply disturbed that each time these issues are raised
AgriSA and other farmers’ organisation take a defensive stance and accuse those
raising these matters as fuelling hatred against white farmers. We find this
defensive and a rationale for condoning such behaviour from some of their members.
AgriSA cannot hide any longer. If it is serious about law and order it must
act similarly in all cases of violence, whether they involve farmers or workers!

We demand concrete action

It is time now that we focus on all forms of violence, particularly that perpetrated
by farmers. Many of them commit criminal activities and yet walk freely as
“law-abiding” citizens. This is a ticking time bomb.

Also of concern to us is lack of free political activity in many of these
farms. Many workers told us that they were not allowed to register to vote.
Even those who are registered expressed serious concern that they might not
be allowed to vote as many farmers know many workers will vote for the ANC.
We were however pleased to note that thousands of farmworkers appreciate the
sectoral determination on farmworkers and are aware that this was an initiative
of the ANC government. Our call for them to vote ANC so that we can together
defeat racist and violent abuse was widely welcomed wherever we went.

Even in KwaZulu Natal there is a growing sentiment by farmworkers towards
the ANC. One worker aptly put it “I was a staunch member of the IFP. But when
the IFP failed to act to protect us as farmworkers despite repeated appeals,
I started questioning why I should continue being in the IFP, but kept on hoping
that the organisation will come to our rescue. The last straw for me came when
the IFP entered into an alliance with the DA. Our experiences here is that
many of the white farmers, including those who are perpertrating some of the
worst abuses against us, are prominent members of the DA and in other instances
even DA councillors”.

We therefore openly challenge AgriSA and all other farmers’ organisations,
to come up with a comprehensive action plan to combat violent and racist abuse
of farmworkers, as key to any strategy to deal with all other forms of violence
on farms.

We also call upon AgriSA to open their farms to trade union organisation and
ensure that on April 14 workers are given time to go and vote. AgriSA should
publicly issue a call to all their members in this regard. As the SACP we have
committed ourselves to make this struggle with farmworkers rolling mass action
beyond the election. Where we identify abuses and interference with the right
of workers to vote we shall expose these. We therefore challenge AgriSA to
publicly commit itself to dealing with such cases when we raise them in future.

SACP Election
Message

VOTE ANC…WITH AND FOR THE WORKERS AND THE POOR

Since 1994, together, we have begun to change our society

On the factory floor, in the countryside, in our townships and places
of learning, through parliament, government departments, in municipalities…as
progressive forces, together we have begun to roll back racial power
and privilege.

We have extended workers’ rights. Everyone is equal in the courts of
law. Land is returning to dispossessed communities.

We have provided millions with formal housing, water and sanitation,
electricity and health-care.

But the bosses are still sabotaging our democracy

Apartheid is abolished… but apartheid lives on in kitchens, on farms,
on the factory floor.

Baas-skap still stalks our land in the way workers are treated, in the
board-rooms where decisions get made.

Pass-laws have been swept away…but at every turn the capitalist market
demands: “Hey, you, where’s your credit rating?” “What’s your bank balance?”
“Where’s your work experience?”

We have rolled out democracy, but the bosses continually undermine it.

We have extended workers rights with the Labour Relations Act, the Basic
Conditions of Employment Act, the Security of Tenure Act and much more.
Together, we have made minimum wage determinations for domestic workers
and farm labourers.

But the bosses have retrenched one million workers. Hundreds of thousands
more have been casualised and outsourced. Farm workers are displaced.
Safety regulations are defied. Minimum wages are ignored.

Women workers, in particular, are often the first to be fired, the first
to be outsourced and casualised.

For the ANC-SACP-COSATU alliance the agenda is: A better life for all.

For the bosses the agenda is: A better profit margin for the few.

The bosses ask for financial liberalisation so they can “grow the economy”.
Then what do they do? They disinvest billions of rands out of South Africa.
Profits made in South Africa are fleeing our new democracy.

The bosses make solemn promises at the Growth and Development Summit,
but then fail to implement labour intensive methods. They prefer to import
foreign machinery and retrench South African workers.

The banks red-line our communities and black-list the poor. Food retailers
inflate prices. Cell-phone networks over-charge. Vultures push for privatisation
of public goods.

Roll back profits - Build worker power

Together, we must enforce
safety regulations. We must use state and worker power to ensure our
rights are defended and advanced.

Together, we must organise in our communities to monitor prices and
fight over-charging. In our work-places, we must mobilise to advance
our rights.

People first… profits last.

Down with food inflation. Down with high medicine prices. Down with
land-price speculation.

With an overwhelming ANC elections victory,

Together we will defend jobs and create work

We will:

• Use government and state-owned enterprises to invest more than R100-billion
  in improving roads, rail and other infrastructure;
• Take more and more young people through learnerships so they can
  gain skills and work experience;
• Encourage the use of labour-intensive methods in sectors of the
  economy where this makes sense. Government procurement will be used
  as leverage
  to force private companies to comply;
• Tackle the problems of casualisation and outsourcing
• Ensure the implementation of the Growth and Development Summit
  resolutions
• Roll back the agenda of privatisation and build the public
  sector to meet the needs of the people.

Sustainable livelihoods, sustainable households,
sustainable communities

Since 1994, capitalism has been restored to profitability in our country.
Yet four out of every ten workers in our country is now unemployed! More
and more, capitalism shows itself unable to address the basic needs of
our people.

We cannot fold our arms and wait for capitalism to deliver jobs that
will never come.

We must ensure that everyone at least lives in a sustainable community,
in a sustainable household, with sustainable means, protected from the
worst ravages of the capitalist market.

With an overwhelming ANC elections victory

Together we will fight poverty

We will:

• Create 1 million temporary work opportunities through the expanded public
  works programme;
• Assist co-operatives and other forms of self-employment, ensuring
  credit and micro-loan finance;
• Complete the land restitution programme and drastically speed up
  land reform – with special emphasis on household and community
  food security;
• Speed up programmes to provide water and sanitation, electricity
  and telephone services to those not yet connected.
• Ensure much greater involvement of communities in local economic
  development.
• Build houses closer to work, and bring work closer to housing.
• Ensure that we have more comprehensive social security. We will
  extend the Child Support Grant up to 14 years. We will improve
  the functioning
  of the UIF. We will introduce a national health insurance
  system so that all are covered more fairly.

In everything we do, we must ensure that our programmes reinforce each
other. Government spending and popular mobilisation must go hand in hand.

The expanded public works programmes must be linked with local development,
popular involvement with land reform. Those who will benefit from land
reform tomorrow must be those who are mobilised into the local public
works irrigation scheme today. The builders of infrastructure must be
the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries must be those who know how to maintain
it.

We should think of a pension or a child support grant not as a hand-out,
but as seed money to access training, to establish a co-op, to maintain
a sustainable home.

Build sustainability! Build self-reliance! Build community power!

With an overwhelming ANC elections victory

Together we will tackle health
challenges, including HIV and AIDS

Working together, government, health-workers and communities, we will:

• Implement our comprehensive HIV and AIDS programme of prevention, care
  and treatment, including anti-retroviral roll-out;
• Improve services in health facilities
• Fight against TB, malaria, diabetes, hypertension, malnutrition
  and other diseases that particularly affect workers and the poor.

With an overwhelming ANC elections victory

We will struggle for international peace
and development; we will consolidate our friendship with the people’s
of Africa and the world.

We will live in an unjust world. Big power unilateralism runs rough-shod
over smaller third world countries. UN resolutions are defied. Countries
are invaded on the basis of lies. The imperialists’ own World Trade Organisation
agreements are flouted when profits are to be made.

Genocide in Palestine is condoned. In this unjust world, weapons of
mass destruction are fine, as long as they are in the hands of big powers,
or Israeli militarists.

Every day, each European cow is subsidised by more than the daily income
of the average person in sub-Saharan Africa.

We are living in a cruel world. A divided, fragmented South Africa,
a democratic government without massive, mobilised popular support behind
it would be very vulnerable.

Which is why we say: Close ranks, Vote ANC.

Major battles lie ahead

Since April 1994, and before, the capitalists have waged an incessant
struggle to shake the SACP loose from the ANC; to weaken the influence
of progressive ideas on government; to sow confusion and demoralisation
about our new dispensation.

Sometimes they flatter the SACP (“You’d make a lovely opposition”, the
hypocrites tell us). Mostly they vilify the SACP.

They want a confused and factionalised national liberation movement.
They want splits and demoralisation. They want our mass base in townships
and on the factory floor to be divided and quarrelling.

The SACP will never play into this agenda. The SACP will build its branches
and take forward struggles of poor and working people where we live,
where we work and where we study.

Close ranks! Build worker power! Build the Party! Build the Alliance!
Forward to a massive ANC victory!

VOTE ANC, WITH AND FOR THE WORKERS AND THE POOR!

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