South African "winelands" burn - Greedy farmers or Political interference?

Riots and unrest have spread across farming towns in South Africa's usually peaceful and scenic Cape "wine-lands".

At first the media portrayed the mayhem and destruction as a just uprising against low wages paid by farmers to farm-workers (which is indeed a widespread concern), but soon it appeared the "farm-workers" were mainly unemployed residents from townships (mainly migrants to the Cape province), who also looted Somali-owned shops and intimidated the workers with whippings and violence.

Whatever the case, the destruction to farms and roads already runs into the millions.



See also: tia-mysoa.blogspot.com...
Here the ANC President says he doesn't know what their threat meant to make the Cape Province "ungovernable".

Every time you see something like this you have to ask, who is stirring the pot. What is in it for the alphabet soup agencies. Where is the army, the police, anyone?

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The latest: the violence has spread to 16 towns.

Western Cape Premiere Helen Zille has called for the army to be deployed, but the Eastern Cape ANC (who run an absolute shambles of a province) have called for an international boycott of SA wines!

The ANC has vowed to render the DA led Western Cape ungovernable; and now the process has started in the form of a violent wage disputes by farm workers. This has already sparked protests in 16 Boland towns and an incident in Wolseley leading to the death of a 28-year-old man. Five other people were injured in the same incident.
Meanwhile Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant has taken a decision to look at a possible review of the sectoral determination for farmworkers, which currently stands at a minimum of R70 a day. Oliphant will next week publish a notice indicating the intention to call on all interested parties to comment on the possibility of reviewing the sectoral determination. The minister will, at the same time, publish a notice to cancel the existing sectoral determination.

Farm workers – and some protestors who seemed to have come out of nowhere – are demanding R150 minimum wage a day. In areas such as Robertson, Somerset-West and the Hexriver Valley they have started to set vineyards alight. ANC members and their supporters are saying "Nou gaan die Boere kak", meaning it is time for the white farmers to take some sh*t.

The Western Cape police service are saying the widespread unrest is a matter of concern. "Although every endeavor is made to maintain law and order, it is fair to admit that our response time is compromised and affected by the situation," says Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut of the Western Cape SA Police Service communications team.

The officials from the Departments of Labour, and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, unions as well as representatives of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration have been involved in efforts to find a solution

Earlier Western Cape Premier Helen Zille asked that SANDF members to be called into the Hex River valley where violent protests were ongoing as police were "stretched thin".

"I have been in contact with the provincial and national police commissioners calling for the SANDF to be deployed.

The ANC in the Eastern Cape has called for countries worldwide to stop importing South African wine.

www.sapromo.com...

More footage on developments.

De Doorns, 13 November 2012:

Shops owned by African foreign nationals looted (a standard phenomenon by now), and vineyards set alight:



In the following clip labor experts said the strikers who are farm-workers indeed often have a low salary (although conditions vary across farms), however some blame government for setting a low minimum wage.

The first tragic victims of the violence.
A young man shot by police, and two injured journalists.

From the interviews I've heard these strikers were driven in from another town. The farms workers which don't strike are threatened and forced to participate.

I think the ANC is trying to make the Western Cape ungovernable. Its disgusting to say the least considering so many have lost their lives because of the ANCs political agenda.

There is no doubt that we are slowly moving into another dictatorship considering Zuma's eagerness to censor any news, view or political party who opposes him.

If we don't do something soon they will cripple South Africa and we'll become another Zimbabwe.

The uneducated masses are so easily swayed but will they take responsibility if this country get pushed of the edge? No. Will the politicians take responsibility? Absolutely not.

Though, a tiny handful can not do much. Its too overwhelming

Chaos returned again this week to the Western Cape's agricultural heartland, as last year's strike resumed.

As expected shops were looted, cars were burnt (including that of a journalist who had a narrow escape from a violent mob), vehicles were pelted with stones and roads were blocked.

Again the media speculated on how many of the rioters were truly farm-workers, or whether the ANC was simply fulfilling its promise to make the DA-led province "ungovernable" with old tricks.



www.google.com...

An ANC Councillor was shot in the face by security guards.
thenewage.co.za...

Meanwhile, concerns over food security have grown, and investor confidence in SA continues to diminish.

After prolonged chaos and strikes in parts of the fertile Western Cape farmlands, more riots erupted in the Northern Free State town of Sasolburg this week.

For more on the Cape strikes see Carte Blanche: Vineyards Blazing, which incorporates views from all sides, including the farmers, the strikers, the workers intimidated to join the strike, and the political scene.
beta.mnet.co.za...

In Sasolburg looting apparently targeted mainly shops owned by African and Muslim immigrants.
The given reasons for the riots were supposedly unemployment and a provincial dispute, although many doubt these arguments.



I guess in Western countries looting foreign shops would be equated to Nazi-like behavior.

This latest Carte Blanche story on the winelands mayhem actually did have a strong subtext of a conspiracy.

The original Carte Blanche story description read:

Ask anyone about farm strikes in the Western Cape and they'll tell you Nosey Pieterse is a driving force behind a call for the R150 minimum wage. But is his nose clean? Carte Blanche finds out about food parcel payments, assaults on non-striking workers and a BEE (Black Economic Empowerment plan) that has done nothing to alleviate poverty in the winelands.

beta.mnet.co.za...
03-02-2013

To see the shocking story of intimidation and missing funds:

beta.mnet.co.za...

Reply to post by halfoldman

I had an intrusive thought today; it stated that there was an underground pyramid in the area.

Forgive me for saying such a thing...unsolicited thoughts sometimes stop haunting me if I talk about them.

It makes me wonder if both topics are or will be intertwined in time.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

reply to post by MasterAndMargarita

That could be very interesting from an esoteric slant on the matter.

It's certainly suspected that many ancient peoples once mined and traded in South Africa, including the Egyptians, and later also people from India and Indonesia.

Well, here we have more "activism" to destroy the winelands and put alcohol distribution into the hands of the politically affiliated gangsters.

First it was a call to boycott white farmers (which proved unsuccessful as the media exposed ANC conspiracies run on violent intimidation).

It is little wonder then that now we have legislation proposed that would ban all alcohol sales on a Sunday!

www.iol.co.za...