Working and Living Conditions of Farmworkers: DALRRD and DEL take hands

[{“type”:”text”,”content”:”In their presentation, Stats SA stated that access to improved water sources, electricity and sanitation was lower in farm areas than in urban areas. However, the official unemployment rate in farm areas was 18.7% during quarter three of 2021, which was significantly lower than the 33% in urban areas.nnDr Rick de Sagte, Senior Research Associate, Phuhlisani NPC said key trends in the agricultural sector over the last three decades had included market deregulation and trade liberalisation, and dramatic cuts in state subsidies and support for social investment on farms in the areas of housing, services, health, and education. nnThe Joint Committee should consider amendments to the provisions of the Municipal Finance Management Act that will permit closely specified and audited public expenditure on privately owned land to ensure basic service provision and improved housing standards. A farm household infrastructure grant (FHIG) will be made available to fund rural housing and services on farms. A model by-law will be prepared to enable municipalities to require that farm owners register and provide basic occupancy statistics for on-farm accommodation on an annual basis, to provide data to ensure adequate service provision on farms including access to health care, schooling and rural public transport.nnTax incentives will be developed by SARS which rewards investments by farm owners in service provision and social infrastructure on farms. Municipalities, in conjunction with the Department of Home Affairs and Social Services, will jointly enable farm dwellers to obtain identity documents and access social grants.”,”position”:0,”id”:”u3f28g7IgXP2ZfM9″}]