Pretoria - Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson has in a statement conveyed a message of support to farm workers who are staging a sit in at a farm in the Boland region in the Western Cape.
On Monday, farm workers at Keurboschkloof export grape farm outside De Doorns downed tools and staged a sit-in protest at the gates of the farm.
They are protesting against attempts by the SA Fruit Exporters (Safe) - which has a five-year contract to manage Keurboschkloof - to cut their wages
"I hope a resolution will be found soon for all the parties involved. We call for an end to [the] exploitation of vulnerable farm workers and further call on employers to respect and uphold farm workers' rights in the same manner that all citizens' rights are upheld in South Africa.
"We cannot sit silent while the very people who ensure that we have food to eat are exploited because of their vulnerability. Farm worker exploitation affects every citizen. We call for an immediate end to these kinds of abuses and will not tolerate them," said the minister.
