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Editorial Comment

Beweerde misdrywe deur boere - bewyse?
Minister van landbou Lulama Xingwana het gesê daar is talle voorbeelde van hoe boere op plase werkers verkrag en mishandel, maar die afgelope drie weke het die Dept. van Arbeid met blitsondersoeke na arbeidspraktyke op plase in verskeie Vrystaatse distrikte soos Heilbron, Bothaville, ens. gegaan en klaarblyklik geen getuienis daarvan gevind nie. Op ‘n vergadering verlede week in Pretoria tussen die Minister en AgriSA, TLU en NAFU het sy ook geen bewyse van haar vroeëre bewerings voorgelê nie. In ‘n vroeëre Parlementêre antwoord het die Minister gesê dat landbou ‘n invloed het op sowat 35% van die landsekonomie, dat die breë voedselbedryf sowat 14% bydra tot die BBP en dat formele landbou werk aan sowat 1,3 miljoen plaaswerkers verskaf. Altesaam sowat 2 miljoen huishoudings verdien hul inkomste uit landbou, oftewel 10 miljoen mense of bykans 22% van die SA bevolking. Laat mens wonder oor hierdie sleutelbedryf van die ekonomie.

BBBEE discriminatory
Dissecting the newly announced Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Codes (BBBEE) an inevitable conclusion is that it constitutes pure racial discrimination against whites. While it is commendable to introduce measures to bring marginalized groups or communities into the mainstream of the economy, it should not be done to the detriment of other first class SA citizens. According to the SA Constitution all citizens are equal and there should not be discriminated against anyone, while the Constitution states SA belongs to all its citizens, black and white. Why now, 13 years after the playing field was levelled and merit introduced as basis for a free enterprise economy, are excluding and racially discriminatory measures constituted? This is not to speak of the practical damage to the economy, also in the Free State. The cardinally important spirit of entrepreneurship is dampened, hundreds of thousands of skilled and productive South Africans already driven abroad and service levels dropping. We say make South Africa a winning country by allowing free entrepreneurial spirit, freedom of association and spontaneous harmonious racial interaction.