Economic Opportunities
Question by:
Hon Pierre Uys
Answered by:
Hon Alan Winde
Question Number:
8
Question Body:
Whether his Department keeps a record of the number of farmworkers and farm dwellers evicted from farms in the province; if not, why not; if so, (a) how many farmworkers and farm dwellers have been evicted from farms since 2000 and (b) what did his Department do to stop the eviction of people from farms?
Answer Body:
- The Department does not keep a consolidated record or database of all farm workers and farm dwellers evictions in the province, as in most cases the Department does not have access to the relevant information and very often only are informed about evictions after the fact. All legal and illegal evictions are dealt with according to specific processes as per the Extension of Security of Tenure Act (ESTA) 62 of 1997. These processes are the mandate of the national Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) and administered as such by them. DRDLR maintains the database of all evictions pertaining to farm workers and farm dwellers.
The Department’s sub-programme: Farm Worker Development, the only one of its kind in the country, assists evicted farm workers through the facilitation of access to appropriate departments and municipalities through its Referral System. This system links affected farm workers with services and support structures during this process once the department is made aware of such cases.
Date:
Friday, August 11, 2017
