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GroundUp reports that over 2,000 farm workers and residents of Kirkwood and Addo in the Sundays River Valley Municipality, Eastern Cape, shut down parts of Kirkwood on Wednesday morning.
The workers, supported by the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco), were demanding wages of R30 per hour. The workers claimed that they currently earned between R18 and R23 per hour, depending on the farm. They also complained about having to pick and pack a set daily target of oranges or vegetables. Residents of Kirkwood indicated that they had joined the protest to voice their unhappiness with the delivery of services in the township. They said they wanted street lights, water, tar roads in the township and a satellite police office station. Sanco’s Zwelimnandi Rooibard said they had taken on the fight of farmworkers too because unions were no longer paying attention to their plight. They wanted farm owners to agree to hire 30% immigrants and 70% local people. Petitions were addressed to the municipality, SAPS and farm owners in the region. Mayor Simphiwe Rune came out to accept the petition with SAPS Colonel Robbie Riekerk. They both promised to respond to the demands within seven days. There was no representative of the farm owners.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thamsanqa Mbovane at GroundUp
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page