Over the past week, we’ve seen violent protests by farmworkers demanding higher wages and better working conditions. Farmworkers in the De Doorns and other Western Cape areas went on strike in demand of a R150 daily wage. In a bid to show their support, the ANC in the Eastern Cape called for the complete boycott of South African wines yesterday.

According to the Eastern Cape ANC spokesperson, Mlibo Qoboshiyane, consumers would be supporting workers’ exploitation if they continued buying South African-produced wine.

Next time people binge on wines from the Western Cape, they must know that they support exploitation of black workers. The South African wine industry is making a lot of money locally and internationally; therefore, the wage demands of the workers are realistic and can be met by the employers.

Qoboshiyane also said that the Western Cape’s premier, Helen Zille, was failing to back the workers because farm owners were financing the Democratic Alliance.

The people of the Western Cape deserve a better leader than Zille.

Meanwhile, De Doorns municipal officials said yesterday that violent strike action had resulted in damage estimated at R500 000 so far.

Property damage has been sustained including the destruction of a packing shed, veld fires, damage to farming crops, burning of tyres in streets and throwing of stones. On Tuesday, a policeman also had to be hospitalised after being hit on the head by a stone thrown by protesters. This follows the arrest of 10 people on Monday for public violence and intimidation.

[Source: Fin24]