Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
Title: Dowry: Jonkershoek eviction agreement signed
Statement by Cobus Dowry, Minister of Agriculture, Western Cape: Historic agreement signed this morning in Stellenbosch Road forward for Jonkershoek
In view of the problems with evictions from the Jonkershoek area affecting the farming community it was decided to have a meeting to resolve the matter and to look at ways and means for a possible longer term solution.
A meeting took place on 13 June 2006 at Elsenburg and was attended by among others, representatives from the Jonkershoek Crisis Committee, Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), Agri Western Cape, Mountain to Ocean (Pty) Ltd, Stellenbosch Municipality, Stellenbosch Landbou Genootskap, Women on Farms and the departments of Agriculture and Land Affairs and the Office of the Premier.
The representatives at the meeting all expressed appreciation for this, the first meeting of its kind, to resolve matters through dialogue and all gave a firm commitment to participate in the process to find solutions. All agreed and resolved to pin down the following key principles, which will form the basis of our planned discussions over the next three to six (3-6) months:
* A collective commitment to constructive engagement;
* An agreement that the Extension of Security of Tenure Act (ESTA) is inadequate and needs to be reviewed;
* A moratorium on all evictions in this area, pending the conclusion of negotiations aimed at three to six months;
* The setting up of Agri-villages;
* The centrality of parastatal and private land in the engagement of transformation;
* All levels of governance to be included in this process – i.e. local/municipal, provincial and national government;
* An end to severing basic services to farm occupants;
* Conducting an audit to provide common platforms of information;
* Rooting out those bad apples violating human rights.
A follow-up meeting is scheduled for 26 June 2006 to take the process forward. This process of dialogue and constructive engagement in agricultural communities may very well be the first of kind and may serve as a blueprint for other similar areas in the province and South Africa.
Enquiries:
Alie van Jaarsveld
Tel: (021) 483 4700
Cell: 084 604 6701
Issued by: Ministry of Agriculture, Western Cape Provincial Government
16 June 2006
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