Two farming towns in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, Kirkwood and Ado, were this Friday shutdown as farm workers demanded a minimum wage of R30 per hour.
The national minimum wage is R23.19 per hour.
A fruit and vegetable farm in Bershiba was torched while a tractor was also burnt near Aqua Park.
Lemon trees were sawn down at the Daps Farm and used to block the road leading to Moses Mabida township.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Majola Nkoli said the situation was tense in the two towns.
“Reports indicate that the two towns were torched, but we cannot confirm any damages as no cases have been opened yet. Police are visible in the area to monitor the situation,” he said.
Meanwhile, a meeting has been scheduled for next Monday to negotiate farm workers’ wages and grievances.
The facilitator and mediator of the meetings is Theo Bezuidenhout.
“I know of two or three farmers whose property was seriously damaged. It seems like there was a huge misunderstanding because there were only two farmers or organisations implicated in the petition and they were never informed or invited to sign the petition during the protest,” Bezuidenhout said.
