‘Do not submit to paralysing pessimism’ – Nampo visitors discuss politics & labour

The lack of trust between role players in agriculture came to the fore during a Nation in Conversation session at Nampo 2015.

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Political analyst Max du Preez said the sector consisted of two constituencies light years apart. The current political climate was warming up in the build-up to next year’s local government election.

This meant politicians could increasingly be expected to make statements aimed at soliciting votes, forcing the major players even further apart.

“We need to bridge the divide. We should not submit to paralysing pessimism. We can make a plan,” he said.

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Meanwhile, Hans van der Merwe, Agri SA’s executive director, said good labour relations were highly valued by the commercial agricultural sector. But commercial farmers would increasingly have to compare labour costs with the cost of mechanisation.

There was a pressing need for dialogue on the socio-economic effects of decreasing job opportunities, among others, in rural South Africa, added Van der Merwe – and Agri SA was committed to finding solutions and working with all involved in the process.

“The era of ‘farm workers’ is something of the past. Given the massive sophistication of technology deployed on our farms, they have become ‘personnel’ and ‘staff members’,” said Van der Merwe.

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