SAPTU could not agree more with the President and the Minister of Agriculture when it comes to the statement that the government needs to get involved to stop farm attacks and murders.
Minister of Agriculture Thoko Didiza recently read a letter from President Cyril Ramaphosa in which he strongly condemns farm murders and attacks. The fact that these attacks – that includes murder, vandalism and theft – have a greater impact on the country’s economy is admitted.
It has an impact on agriculture in general and food security that impacts the whole of South Africa.
SAPTU hopes that these weren’t only empty words for the crowd it was delivered to, but that both the president and the minister will take action to assure farmers and farm workers that their safety is important to the government of South Africa.
The time is long overdue for farmers and farm workers to get the recognition they deserve for the role they play in the South African economy.
SAPTU is a politically neutral union for any employee working in South Africa. The union was initially established to serve members in the parastatal and tertiary institutions fields in 1993, but now represent a wide range of members from the agricultural, healthcare, hospitality, security and construction industries. The union is affiliated to FEDUSA, (The Federation of Unions of South Africa which again is also affiliated to various international bodies. SAPTU and its members benefit from the collective knowledge of these affiliations, which contributes to greater participation and strength. Furthermore, SAPTU has the opportunity to influence legislation through FEDUSA which also is represented on various national bodies, including NEDLAC. This enables SAPTU to keep abreast of all new legislation and essential labour developments.