Free State Agriculture (FSA) president Francois Wilken warned this week that the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill could potentially lead to Orwellian inequality. Wilken referred to George Orwell’s famous dictum “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” to exemplify the danger of discriminative application of the bill.
Wilken voiced concerns that the bill could be used to silence groups and individuals for political gain.
“Meanwhile, vulnerable minorities – such as South Africa’s beleaguered farming community – could remain ignored and undefended. Discriminative application of hate speech legislation has arguably already been employed in South Africa,” the FSA said in a statement.
The organisation opines that, as a result, the bill may provide no additional protection to certain groups beyond that which is provided by existing hate speech regulations. It could, however, be used as a weapon to suppress legitimate free expression.
The bill’s circular definition of “damage”, on which its definition of hate speech is based, is perhaps “dangerously ambiguous”, FSA says.
“There is a risk that discussion of the political scene, and of the issues facing South Africans, could be suppressed using appeals to the bill,” Wilken stated. “It could even be used to punish political views deemed ‘harmful’ to those who find them offensive, and in this way stifle freedom of thought.”
FSA calls for a reconsideration of the bill and that attention rather be placed on existing legislation, which – if consistently applied – is arguably sufficient to address hate speech crimes.
Blueberry prices peak for first time in three seasons
The volumes and average prices of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries were compared to those of past seasons in a study conducted by consulting firm Agronometrics in the United States. Only blueberries appear to have been immune to current low-price trends while all four fruit species had bigger volumes than in the previous season.
Blueberry prices in the 2021/2022 season were greater than in the previous season, particularly from week 32 to week 38 of 2021, according to Fresh Plaza.
ALSO READ: This week’s agriculture events: 11 to 17 October
Sign up for Mzansi Today: Your daily take on the news and happenings from the agriculture value chain.
