Today, South Africans will be celebrating Workers’ Day with workers across the globe. As the agricultural sector continues facing several challenges, agricultural leaders are applauding agri-workers for their role, despite export markets being threatened and millions of jobs at risk.
Chief executive officer of Agri SA, Johann Kotze, said agriculture employs about 950 000 people and therefore plays a critical role in providing opportunities to rural South Africans.
“Agricultural employees are the greatest asset we have in growing the industry. We celebrate Workers’ Day and thank all workers and employers for their contribution to the socio-economic development of the country,” he said.
Workers’ contribution to economy
Agri Western Cape chief executive officer, Jannie Strydom, said as the country pauses and celebrates workers across all sectors who contribute immensely to the economy of the country, they salute all farmers and agricultural workers.
“Agri Western Cape would like to sincerely thank all committed agri-workers in our sector. Agri-workers perform a critical role in contributing to the sustainability of the agricultural sector,” he said.
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Meanwhile, the Agricultural Food and Allied Democratic Workers Union (Afadwu) spokesperson, Khayelihle Khumalo, said upholding and protecting the rights of workers is critically important for them.
“As we observe this important day on the global labour calendar, Afadwu reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the fight for justice, dignity, and the rights of all workers, especially those in the agricultural, food, and retail sectors.
“We demand fair wages and dignified working conditions for all workers. We also reject all forms of exploitation, abuse, and oppression in the workplace, and we say let us raise our voices as one united force against inequality and injustice,” he said.
Fighting for vulnerable workers
Khumalo said that as farmworkers continue to fight for their rights to be upheld, it is important for workers in the agricultural space to speak in one voice and ensure that those who abuse workers are brought forward and face the consequences.
“Let May Day 2025 be a historic moment of unity and resistance as we continue the struggle for a better life for all workers.
“We will be on the ground across all the nine provinces to ensure that we will be marking a powerful show of unity and resistance against the continued exploitation of workers in South Africa,” he said.
According to Zanele Sabela of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the recent signing of the Expropriation Act was a step in the right direction for those in the agricultural sector, especially the workers, so that they could also access land.
“We must all continue to strive to ensure the fruits of democracy are enjoyed by all, in particular the most vulnerable members of society, the working class and the rural poor,” she said.
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