• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Lifestyle
About 20 people picketed on Olieboom Road at the Philippi Horticultural Area in the Western Cape last week. Photo: Mary-Anne Gontsana/GroundUp

Employment dispute over horticulture area clean-up

6th Dec 2021
Langeberg & Ashton Foods buildings and yards line a significant stretch of Ashton’s main road. Jacobus de Koker isn’t permanently employed but says he has been working at the factory for years. Photo: Elana van der Watt/Food For Mzansi

‘Our town will be a dead town’

25th Jun 2022
Potatoes SA recently led a roundtable discussion on the state of South Africa's fresh produce markets, which need urgent attention. Photo: Supplied/RSA Group

Fresh produce markets ‘at tipping point’

25th Jun 2022
A recent Gather to Grow session hosted by Food For Mzansi featured; plant pathologist, Diana Mngomezulu, animal scientist Thabiso Maenetje, Free State cattle farmer Annalea Van Niekerk, Agri SA chief agricultural economist Kulani Siweya, Plant scientist Henry Basson, agri- horticulturalist Vuyokazi Mtshazi, and farmer Thabo Skhosana. Photo:Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Farmer 101: ‘We need farmers that are forward-thinking’

24th Jun 2022
Thailand farmers are now feeding cannabis to their chickens. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Holy smokes! Cannabis in chicken feed?

24th Jun 2022
David Mthombeni is building an agriculture empire for his family.Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Farmer gets his hands dirty while building family empire

24th Jun 2022
The State Capture commission made a range of recommendations to prevent corrupt projects like the Estina Vrede Dairy Farm project in future. Image: Food For Mzansi

Vrede Dairy Farm: Heads must roll, say farmers

24th Jun 2022
Archive photo. A R180-million investment by a major poultry producer in North West signals progress by the province to lure investors, says its premier. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

R180m. investment ‘shows progress in North West’

24th Jun 2022
First batch of smallholder farmers who have successfully completed hands-on training on potato production with their mentor Dr Lerato Matsaunyane. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

North West welcomes newly trained potato farmers

23rd Jun 2022
World Bank has launched an insurance for Kenyan farmers that starts coverage at KES 50 per month. Photo: Supplied/World Bank

Affordable weather insurance for Kenyan farmers

23rd Jun 2022
FMD: Farmers who notice symptoms of foot and mouth disease in their livestock should report it to local veterinarians as soon as possible. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

FMD outbreaks in Free State, Gauteng contained

23rd Jun 2022
Justice Raymond Zondo released the final chapters of his report into state capture last night (Wednesday, 22 June 2022). Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

ICYMI: Zondo releases report on Vrede Dairy Project

23rd Jun 2022
Vuyokazi Makapela, a director at Afrivet, Zamo Shongwe, Buhle Farmer’s Academy’s, finance and business director, Free State farmer Buchule Jack, Liviwe Finca, the founder of Amafemvula, and Justin Dziruni of Zazo Boergoats. Photo:Supplied/Foodf For Mzansi

Podcast: Here’s how to control and prevent rabies

22nd Jun 2022
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
11 GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS
Sat, Jun 25, 2022
Food For Mzansi
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
    • All
    • AgriCareers
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Farmers
    • Groundbreakers
    • Innovators
    • Inspiration
    • It Takes a Village
    • Mentors
    • Movers and Shakers
    • Partnerships
    David Mthombeni is building an agriculture empire for his family.Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Farmer gets his hands dirty while building family empire

    Gauteng farmers give youth a leg-up in agriculture

    Women in farming give youth a leg up in agriculture

    Watch out, these young farmers are on fire!

    Watch out, these young farmers are on fire!

    Unati Speirs has vast experience in agri-business strategy and business funding and was recently appointed as a new board director for Hortgro. Photos: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Youngest Hortgro hotshot takes transformation to heart

    Prof Kennedy Mnisi a dedicated young man who wants to help livestock farmers with animal health education to prevent diseases. Picture. Supplied/ Food For Mzansi.

    Animal scientist works hard to earn top dog status

    Eastern Cape grain farmer Sinelizwi Fakade told Cyril Ramaphosa that limited access to funding continued to constrain young farmers. The president vowed to return to the province to fully engage with issues raised. Photo:Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Ramaphosa vows to address challenges faced by young farmers

    Meet SA’s young stars taking agritech to the next level

    Meet SA’s young stars taking agritech to the next level

    Lochner Eksteen, Bayanda Maseko and Ian Cunningham: three young people making their living from farming in Mzansi. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Young and farming in Mzansi: The joys and hard truths

    Annita Mutoni is a young poultry farmer in Rwanda, and is finding her stride within the industry. Photo: Supplied/FoodForAfrika.com

    Rwandan poultry farmer follows in father’s footsteps

  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
No Result
View All Result
Food For Mzansi

Employment dispute over horticulture area clean-up

Workers contracted to clean the Philippi Horticulture Area in Cape Town have raised several concerns over an employment agreement between themselves and Stellenbosch University’s Water Institute.

by GroundUp
6th Dec 2021
in News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
About 20 people picketed on Olieboom Road at the Philippi Horticultural Area in the Western Cape last week. Photo: Mary-Anne Gontsana/GroundUp

About 20 people picketed on Olieboom Road at the Philippi Horticultural Area in the Western Cape last week. Photo: Mary-Anne Gontsana/GroundUp

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A dispute about a cleaning project at the Philippi Horticultural Area in the Western Cape has broken out between a few dozen workers and Stellenbosch University’s Water Institute.

About 20 people picketed on Olieboom Road at the Philippi Horticultural Area (PHA) last Wednesday (1 December 2021), in solidarity with the workers. The workers were contracted to clean the PHA. The three-year Restoring the Waterways project aims to reduce pollution to the Cape Flats Aquifer.

But workers accuse the institute of failing to adequately communicate the terms of their employment.

ADVERTISEMENT

At the picket Ernest Theron of the Strandfontein Social Economic Development Forum said that workers had raised several complaints and were struggling to get answers from the university.

At the centre of the dispute is the work period of the project.

PHA community activist and one of the project workers, Rodney Phillips, said about 30 people worked on the project in January. “In June they told us that there is no more money for the project. Therefore we cannot continue working. We stayed home until we returned to the project on 2 November.”

He questioned how the money for the project was being spent.

ALSO READ: Growth in agri jobs reflects healthy sector

New contract

But the university’s Dr Leanne Seeliger said, “The workers’ fixed-term contracts ended in June 2021 because a new contract had to be negotiated with the funder who first had to review the progress made by the project before new funding could be accessed.”

She explained that the project received funding from the Water Research Commission, the provincial department of agriculture and the WWF Nedbank Green Trust.

She said the Water Research Commission’s budget was R1.3 million and the WWF Nedbank totalled R3.7 million. Both amounts are to be spent over three years and are only paid out “according to the agreed business plans and set deliverables by funders”.

Seeliger said the budget for the work that was done between January and June 2021 was R1 million. “The work on the project was checked and reviewed by the department who found it acceptable. The department then agreed to a second budget of [R1.29m] for another seven months from November 2021 to May 2022. This will also be spent according to an agreed business plan.”

ADVERTISEMENT

This article was written by Mary-Anne Gontsana and originally published by GroundUp.

ALSO READ: Small farmers on edge over Tiger Brands tribulations

Sign up for Mzansi Today: Your daily take on the news and happenings from the agriculture value chain.

Tags: employment in agricultureenvironmental affairsminimum wagePhilippi
Share196Tweet123Send
GroundUp

GroundUp

Related Posts

Employment in the agricultural sector has proven increasingly invaluable in recent years amid South Africa's worsening economic state. Photos: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Agri stands its ground amid ‘endemic unemployment’

by Staff Reporter
2nd Jun 2022
0

In a country suffering endemic unemployment, the agricultural sector has once again showed its worth, says Agri SA. Despite a...

Citrus protest: Residents of Kirkwood gather on the gravel road near Moses Mabhida township. Protesters have been interdicted from entering several farms in the Sundays River Valley. Photo: Bonile Bam/New Frame

‘Farmers to blame for xenophobia,’ protesters say

by Anna Majavu
28th Apr 2022
0

Protests in the citrus-growing Sundays River Valley have turned violent several days ago and are yet to be resolved. Journalists...

The employment result for the fourth quarter of 2021, experts say are indicative of the growing importance of agriculture to job creation. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Job stats: Mzansi’s agri sector has a healthy heartbeat

by Duncan Masiwa
30th Mar 2022
0

Stats SA has released its employment figures for the last quarter of 2021. While overall job stats were up from...

Key data from the February 2022 Household Affordability Index shows that the average cost of the household food basket decreased by R45,33 (-1%), from R4 401,02 in January 2022 to R4 355,70 in February 2022. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

ICYMI: Food prices dropped slightly in February

by Duncan Masiwa
2nd Mar 2022
0

ICYMI: The cost of a standardised household food basket dropped slightly in February, but the rise in food prices continues....

Thailand farmers are now feeding cannabis to their chickens. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi
Weird & Wonderful

Holy smokes! Cannabis in chicken feed?

by Zolani Sinxo
24th Jun 2022
0

WEIRD & WONDERFUL: A Thai farmer has ruffled plenty of feathers by claiming that cannabis acts as an immunity booster...

Read more
David Mthombeni is building an agriculture empire for his family.Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Farmer gets his hands dirty while building family empire

24th Jun 2022
The State Capture commission made a range of recommendations to prevent corrupt projects like the Estina Vrede Dairy Farm project in future. Image: Food For Mzansi

Vrede Dairy Farm: Heads must roll, say farmers

24th Jun 2022
Archive photo. A R180-million investment by a major poultry producer in North West signals progress by the province to lure investors, says its premier. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

R180m. investment ‘shows progress in North West’

24th Jun 2022
First batch of smallholder farmers who have successfully completed hands-on training on potato production with their mentor Dr Lerato Matsaunyane. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

North West welcomes newly trained potato farmers

23rd Jun 2022

R180m. investment ‘shows progress in North West’

Watch: MEC Manopole tables budget vote speech

‘Our town will be a dead town’

Vrede Dairy Farm: Heads must roll, say farmers

NC budget highlights: Five agri projects to watch closely

Five top tips for farming with peppers

THE NEW FACE OF SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE

With 11 global awards in the first three years of its existence, Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication. It is a movement, unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture. We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society.

‘Our town will be a dead town’

Fresh produce markets ‘at tipping point’

Farmer 101: ‘We need farmers that are forward-thinking’

Holy smokes! Cannabis in chicken feed?

Farmer gets his hands dirty while building family empire

Vrede Dairy Farm: Heads must roll, say farmers

  • Our Story
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824
WhatsApp line: +27 81 889 9032
Marketing: +27 71 147 0388
News: info@foodformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought

Copyright © 2021 Food for Mzansi

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Go to mobile version