A 78-page book with pictures that features the stories of farmworkers has been hailed for amplifying their voices.
Ten farmworkers are featured in Farm Workers Speak which offers a glimpse into the experiences and realities of farm workers and immigrant farm workers. Farmworker Deneco Dube, 36, a father of two children, said he and other people that shared their stories in the book were not alone, and there were tens of thousands of others with similar experiences.
The book also goes into detail about the 2012 farmworker’s wage strike that lasted for months, detailing how it came about and its outcomes. Dube said the book was about hardships, abuse, horrific working conditions, low pay and the mistreatment farm workers had to endure daily.
Dube, who worked at Wel van Pas farm for five years, said the book was also about the struggle for a change to the sectoral determination of farmworkers.
“For far too long my rights have been violated,” he said, adding that he had been a subject of physical abuse in the hands of his employers.
He said his wages were insufficient to feed and clothe his family.
“The farmworkers work like slaves and when they try to speak they are threatened,” said Dube. He said that a few years ago he was fired for speaking up.
“I would not like anyone to live the life I lived or work under the conditions I worked,” said Dube.
Commission for Gender Equality commissioner Dr Wallace Mgoqi, who attended the launch, said the idea to write the book stemmed from the 2012 farm workers' strike.
“It was decided to record the experiences farmworkers had to go through so that their voices can be heard widely. They reveal horrendous living conditions,” said Mgoqi.
Trust for Community Outreach and Education (TCOE) member Shirley Davids said the book’s aim was to let the world know what it was like to be a farmworker.
“People will now know how it is to work on a farm,” she said.
The book costs R150 and is available at TCOE offices in Mowbray, 36 Durban Road.