Ripe with abuse
"Millions of consumers around the world enjoy the fruit and wine that come from South Africa's farms. But the workers who help produce these goods are among the most vulnerable people in South Africa. Farmworkers in South Africa's Western Cape Province work long hours for little pay, often without access to toilets or drinking water. They routinely are exposed to toxic pesticides and are denied proper safety equipment, even after they ask for it. The housing for many farmworkers, where it does exist, is unfit for living; laborers and residents of farms also face the possibility of eviction from their homes by farm owners, and a lack of alternative housing. Many farmworkers who seek to remedy these conditions confront obstacles to union formation. The Western Cape's fruit and wine industries contribute billions of rand to the country's economy and support its vibrant tourism sector. Yet farmworkers benefit very little from this success, and the government of South Africa and farm owners largely have failed to ensure that workers receive the benefits to which they are entitled. South African legislation provides important protections to farmworkers and farm dwellers, but the limited number of labor inspectors means that the government cannot guarantee that farmers throughout the province comply with national law. This report---based on more than 260 interviews with a range of actors--shows the precarious position in which many farmworkers and farm dwellers continue to find themselves. The problems that these rural residents face are not new, nor are they unknown to the South African government, farmers, or retailers who purchase their products. South Africa's Human Rights Commission documented the same abuses in 2003 and 2008. But the steps taken to date, whether by the government or private actors, have not been sufficient to bring overall conditions on farms in line with the basic standards required either by South African law or industry codes of conduct. This report urges the South African government to protect farmworkers from mistreatment, principally by enforcing their rights to adequate labor, housing, and health. The government should press farm owners to promote better conditions on farms, allow inspectors unrestricted access to farms, and honor workers' rights to association. In the absence of such improvements, farmworkers and farm dwellers will remain trapped in an exploitative situation with little hope of redress"--P. [4] of cover.
