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A joint visit by COSATU, the and Departments of Labour and Land Affairs to a farm at Skuidrift in Zeerust was very successful.

The purpose of the visit was to deal with challenges facing farm workers and dwellers who worked under the farmer called Gabie Richter for more than 25 years and have been exploited by the farm owner since the apartheid era. Now they are racially exploited by Gabie Richter who was in the process of evicting those poor workers during this raining time.

Our visit stopped all this illegal eviction, which was planned to take place last night. The matter will be taken up by the Department of Land Affairs in line with the ESTA.

Workers have been paying for electricity, water, housing and food that they never received. Workers are staying in houses that are dilapidated, without windows, no sanitation, no water and electricity.

The salary for the worker is R600.00 with the deduction R450. 00 which is does not appear on the payslip. The farmer uses the Telkom envelop as a payslip for those poor workers. He is rating the workers at R30.00 and they work for more that eight (8) hours per day including on public holidays. This is racial exploitation and a racist attitude.

The Department of Labour and COSATU will take the matter to the Labour Court and the Criminal Court for illegal deductions and dishonesty of the farmer.

The farmer is instructed by the Department of Labour to comply within fourteen (14) days or he will face the law.

Workers are advised to join the union of their choice because is their constitutional right. Farm workers are also instructed to report all their cases to Department of Labour, the police and to the federation.

All farm workers/ dwellers who are racially abused, assaulted and whose family members are killed by farmers must report the case to the federation (COSATU)

The farm will be re-visited again next week by the Departments of Labour and Land Affairs and COSATU and the Human Right Commission.