Our goal is to empower women farmworkers to improve their living and working conditions and achieve gender equality in the workplace, the home, the farming community and in broader society. Recently these women together with their male counterparts constituted a membership organisation called Sikhula Sonke.

We are aware of the three principal components of government’s Land Reform programme namely:

Land restitution

Land Redistribution

Land Tenure Reform

We acknowledge that in some areas progress has been made, but strongly feel that on the whole the pace has been too slow especially for those people who live and work on farms. This creates an atmosphere of insecurity for farm workers and farm dwellers. The global changes in the arena of agro-business contribute to the ever increasing vulnerability of farm workers and dwellers.

Land and Agrarian reform are critical in the quest for job creation, poverty eradication, and economic growth in farming areas. In this presentation we want to raise awareness about the demand for land by women living on farms, who are also the most vulnerable and marginalised group in the Western Cape.

The lack of tenure security has proved to be one of the most detrimental effects on the lives of these farm workers. Too many of the farmworker families have had to endure farm evictions. These evictions are often as a result of the restructuring of businesses, the sale of the farm or just a cut in the permanent labour force of a particular agricultural business. It happens when no alternative accommodation is being provided for those affected by it.

Evictions are often a result of the liquidation or sale of farms. During our recent history farms in the wine and deciduous fruit sector have been liquidated. On-farm worker families in many cases have been left with no water, electricity or other service provision such as refuse removal. It has proved very difficult to secure the cooperation of local government in this regard. The role of local government needs to be clarified, to ensure effective support and co-operation.

The most alarming matter is the physical assault of farm workers by farmers. Two cases of this gross violation of human rights have just occurred in the past two weeks in Stellenbosch and Wellington areas. The situation is exacerbated by the tenuous tenure security situation of farm workers in the country.

There are still too many women who are assaulted and evicted from farms, without alternative accommodation. The violation of human rights is still ongoing as if there is no justice system in place. (Attached case studies)

Women in rural areas and women living on farms are the poorest of the poor and in many cases have to compete unfavourably in the job market, because they are mainly seasonal or casual workers.

The freedom charter says "That land shall be shared amongst those who work it". And when we celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Charter next year, women farm workers would like to say that freedom of association is being entrenched through their tenure security on farms.

In conclusion we are saying that tenure security is still a huge problem for farm dwellers and therefore government should stop all evictions until Esta has been reviewed.

Women on Farms and Sikhula Sonke strongly recommend that::

• Women should be educated on access to land, water electricity etc.
• To build the capacity of women on their rights to land
• To clarify the role of local government
• To review Esta
• To ensure sufficient resource allocation for the development of farm workers and dwellers

We are saying enough is enough! We are tired of assaults. We are tired of being evicted from farms after working for 40-50 years on the farm, without alternative accommodation. We are tired of being adversely affected by farm liquidations without being informed.

We ask that Esta be reviewed and public hearings be held on the matter in a decentralised fashion so that those who are directly affected by it be given the chance to speak for themselves.

October 2004

Women on Farms Project and Sikhula Sonke