Cape Town – Eight farmworkers at De Kock Boerdery in Ceres claim they were told to vacate the farm by July 17 after being fired by their employer.
Farmworker Sara Philander said they were holding a prayer service on May 30 at one of the workers’ houses when Wilhelm de Kock knocked on the door and chased them out.
However, De Kock dismissed the claims as lies and invited the Cape Times to his farm.
Philander detailed how the incident unfolded, saying following
the service they were placed in isolation and signed disciplinary
forms for “putting other people’s lives in danger by breaking lockdown regulations”.
“It’s the workers’ committee who allowed the house owner to do the praying service.The farm owner knocked on the door and chased us out and said we must test for corona.
"The clinic says we can’t test because we don’t have symptoms. The farm owner placed us in three weeks self-isolation without pay and no food and our kids are suffering. I’ve also filled out disciplinary forms for a prayer service,” she said.
De Kock said there was “never permission given for a prayer meeting”. He directed further questions to Agri Western Cape or labour consultant Andre Bloem.
Agri Western Cape chief executive Jannie Strydom said the workers were dismissed after violating Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
“A former farmworker on the farm collected people in Nduli and took them to the farm without permission. The farm owner found 16 adults and 10 children in the house, none of whom were wearing masks.
“The lockdown regulations imposed by the government are meant to keep everyone around you, as well as yourself, safe and to flatten the curve of infections. It is of utmost importance that people adhere to the regulations,” said Strydom.
Rural and Farmworkers Development Organisation executive director Billy Claasen said farms had the most “inhumane” lockdown rules set down by farmers.
“We’ve been pleading with the government, especially to the president, since 2014 to help us to set up a meeting to speak about the condition of farmworkers.
“Last year he promised that he will have a meeting with NGO’s, labour unions and farmworker leaders so that we can put the plight of farmworkers on the table.
“Nothing has happened and we are still waiting for him to come back to us. We cannot tolerate this anymore. Farmworkers are neglected.
“They are the most vulnerable in society,” said Claasen.
They would start serving notices to farmworkers along the West Coast and Cape Winelands to reconnect electricity at farming homes this week, he said.
Claasen said he recently visited an elderly couple at Eronco farm in Koringberg near Moorreesburg along the West Coast, detailing how the workers lived a “precarious existence”.