Members of Parliament say farm workers live and work in dire conditions in some parts of the province.
The MPs of Parliament’s Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and the Employment and Labour committees, concluded an inspection drive on Sunday, that’s where they visited several farms in the Cape Winelands and along the West Coast.
They found that some workers are evicted from farms without the proper procedures being followed.
Some employers have also resorted to cutting off the power supply to force workers to leave the property.
Agriculture committee chairperson Inkosi Mandla Mandela says the behaviour of some farm-owners is unacceptable.
“ We are really dealing with the slave-master mentality here in the Western Cape, where our people are treated and reduced to animals. The farm-owners beat up their employees”.
He adds that government is not doing enough to help farm workers.
“They’re also failed by government officials who don’t assist much in terms of seeking relief for the employees. A lot of workers have never received their UIF or compensation for the years of labour on the farms”.
