praag.co.uk

MEDIA RELEASE

SUBJECT       :           GENERALISATION AND FARM MURDERS

ISSUED BY : Dr. Pieter Mulder

CAPACITY : Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

“Agricultural debates should be based upon facts and not upon propaganda assumptions,” Dr. Pieter Mulder, deputy minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said. Dr. Mulder was the speaker at a farmer’s day in Christiana in the Northwest province and mentioned it as one of the agricultural challenges for 2011.

“Generalisations which are made as if the relations between commercial farmers and their workers are poor, are totally wrong and based upon such propaganda assumptions. A scientific research investigation, which was undertaken by the well-known researcher, Proff. Lawrence Schlemmer, found that the relationships between farmers and their farm workers are overwhelmingly positive and harmonious. It is also my personal experience the past two years as deputy minister where I visit many farms,” Dr. Mulder said.

“In the same vein, farm murders are not the result of poor relationships between commercial farmers and their farm workers. The investigation into farm attacks which was publicised in 2003, studied 2600 instances of farm murders. Only 1,6% of these cases were related to labour disputes on farms. A poor relationship between a factory owner and his workers, or a commercial farmer and his workers, can in any case never justify a murder,” according to Mulder.

Dr. Mulder also referred to the Green Paper on Land Reform. “The fact that the Green Paper has not been publicised yet, indicates that there are still talks and discussions going on behind the scenes. Farmers and organised agriculture should actively make use of every opportunity to make inputs about this. It also goes for the newly proposed legislation on Land Tenure,” he said.

DR. PIETER MULDER