The family farmer organisation Saai is shocked over and condemns the blatant racial discrimination in the Western Cape Provincial Government’s COVID-19 disaster assistance which will only be allocated to black farmers
This disaster assistance will be administrated by the Cape Agency for Sustainable Integrated Development in Rural Areas (CASIDRA) and Saai plans a multi-dimensional campaign to enforce non-racial principles on all levels of the civil service.
Such a campaign could include legal action, the collection of a million signatures, political pressure inside and outside of parliament, public questions, an awareness programme, as well as an overseas campaign.
The government’s irrational COVID-19 regulations – which paralysed the wine industry for 20 weeks, plunged hundreds of family farms into a financial crisis and left even more farm workers without a job and income – did not discriminate based on colour. Everyone had to suffer even if it was – as the court found in the case against the similar tobacco ban – completely unconstitutional.
CASIDRA and the Western Cape government (similar to the ANC with its BEE policy) are very vague about who is “black”. Most beneficiaries of land reform in the Western Cape are brown people of mixed origin. “For a court to set percentages of descent as a criterion and justify it ethically, morally and constitutionally, South Africa will once again be made a caricature in the international arena, and it is the duty of civic organisations to put a stop to this,” says dr Theo de Jager, Chairman of the Board of Saai.
Saai’s members are family farmers of all sizes, ages, races, language groups and levels of experience. In the interest of cooperation, unanimity and progress, there should be a commitment to a non-racial society. In such a society, the colour of a farmer’s skin, the composition of his genetic origin or his language and cultural heritage should not cause him or her to be compartmentalised into a first- or second-class citizenship.
Disasters such as COVID-19, droughts and fires don’t discriminate on the grounds of heritage or skin colour. It is unforgivable for government to do exactly that in its reaction on disasters.
Saai is continuously committed to pursue the constitutional foundation of non-racialism and to continue fighting for it on every possible level – regardless of who or which party is being impacted by it.
Saai veroordeel COVID-hulp aan slegs swart wynboere
Die familieboerorganisasie Saai is verstom oor en veroordeel die blatante rassediskriminasie in die Wes-Kaapse Provinsiale Regering se COVID-19-ramphulp wat slegs aan swart wynboere toegeken word. Dié ramphulp word deur die Kaapse agentskap vir volhoubare geïntegreerde ontwikkeling in die platteland (CASIDRA) geadministreer en Saai beplan ’n multidimensionele veldtog om nierassige beginsels op alle vlakke van die staatsdiens af te dwing.
Só ’n veldtog kan ’n hofgeding, die insameling van ’n miljoen handtekeninge , politieke druk binne en buite die parlement, openbare vrae, ’n bewusmakingsprogram en ’n buitelandse veldtog insluit.
In die regering se irrasionele COVID-19-regulasies wat die wynbedryf vir 20 weke lamgelê het, honderde familieboerderye in ’n finansiële krisis gedompel het en nog meer plaaswerkers sonder ’n werk en inkomste gelaat het, is daar nie op grond van kleur gediskrimineer nie. Almal moes daaronder ly al was dit – soos die hof in die saak teen die soortgelyke tabakverbod bevind het – totaal ongrondwetlik.
CASIDRA en die Wes-Kaapse regering is, soos die ANC met sy SEB-beleid, baie vaag oor wie “swart” is. Die meeste begunstigdes van grondhervorming in die Wes-Kaap is bruin mense van gemengde herkoms. “Vir ’n hof om persentasies van afkoms as kriterium vir hulp vas te stel en dit eties, moreel en grondwetlik te regverdig, sal van Suid-Afrika in die internasionale arena opnuut ’n karikatuur maak, en dit is burgerlike organisasies se plig om dit te stuit,” sê dr. Theo de Jager, direksievoorsitter van Saai.
Saai se lede is familieboere van alle groottes, ouderdomme, rasse, taalgroepe en vlakke van ervaring. Aan die hand van samewerking, eensgesindheid en vooruitgang, moet daar ’n verbintenis wees tot ’n nierassige samelewing waar die kleur van ’n boer se vel, die samestelling van sy genetiese herkoms of sy taal en kultuurerfenis hom of haar nie in ’n eerste- of tweedeklasburgerskap indeel nie.
Rampe soos COVID-19, droogte en brande diskrimineer nie op grond van herkoms of velkleur nie. Dit is onvergeeflik vir die regering om dit te doen in sy reaksie op rampe.
Saai bly daartoe verbind om die grondwetlike fondasie van nierassigheid na te jaag en daarvoor te baklei op elke vlak, ongeag wie of watter party daardeur geraak word.
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