logo
ENFRع
#

Latest news with #PhandoJikelo

Union leaders call out government mismanagement affecting agriculture workers
Union leaders call out government mismanagement affecting agriculture workers

IOL News

time01-07-2025

  • Business
  • IOL News

Union leaders call out government mismanagement affecting agriculture workers

The recent split between South Africa's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DALRRD) has thrown the livelihoods of hundreds of civil servants, cooperatives, and farmers into disarray. Image: Phando Jikelo / Independent Newspapers The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) and the Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSASA) have both slammed the Department of Agriculture and its former ally, the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, for their poor handling of the split between the two entities. This has resulted in stalled service delivery affecting civil servants, cooperatives, and farmers across the country. This comes as the administrative shake-up within South Africa's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DALRRD), announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on June 30, 2024, regarding the establishment of the National Macro Organisation of Government (NMOG), resulted in the DALRRD undergoing a significant restructuring. This reform resulted in the demerger of the department into two distinct entities: the Department of Agriculture (DoA) and the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development (DLRRD), which has left scores of civil servants tasked with developmental work twiddling their thumbs with no work to do since the start of the new financial year. Ntombi Matjene, a poultry farmer based in Winterveld in Pretoria, whose farming has benefitted from hundreds of civil servants under the Cooperatives and Enterprise Development (CEDs), has revealed that due to the split and the withdrawal of funding, she has been forced to let go of 10 of her temporary workers while the 15 permanent staff members have now been turned into temp workers. "The split has been bad for us. I have had to let go of all of my temp workers as things have come to a standstill. Some of us, who are funded by the national department and not through the provinces, are now suffering... Departments should be measured on impact and not on what people think would work. Farmers know who is assisting them correctly, direct funds to those who do the work," she said. Relating their plight, the CED workers from across South Africa's nine provinces and directors tasked with helping farmers and cooperatives deliver on their mandate, who were previously housed under Rural Development and have now been moved to the Department of Agriculture, feel hard done by the split. They are also decrying the non-consultative manner in which the two departments handled the NMOG and now demand a return to rural development. One senior official has indicated that the situation on the ground is so dire that some of the equipment at some of the Agri parks and other cooperative sites has been left unattended while ministers and their DGs and DDGs take part in G20 talks, while they continue twiddling their thumbs. "It is so sad that some of us who have served the department for more than 20 years get this treatment. Since the start of the new financial year, we have never been engaged or given work by the DDG or the DG. Nobody has given us anything to do. We request that this matter be prioritised as we have received complaints from our farmers and councillors, as we no longer support them. The planting season is coming, and nothing is happening as everything has stopped." Another official said this has led to serious organisational and administrative issues affecting their lives. "Our case is an anomaly to them, whereas in the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, where we come from, there is what is known as Provincial Shared Services Centres, which house all of us. "Currently, that is where we are stationed, and there is administrative support (like HR, Finance, and Supply Chain Management) for us to execute our work. In the case of Agriculture, this support doesn't exist. Then you ask yourself, why do they insist on keeping us in Agriculture, whereas they don't even have systems in place to cater for a good working environment for the welfare of officials to be able to execute their work," he said. Attempts to get a comment from the Ministry of Rural Development were unsuccessful at the time of going to print after departmental spokesperson, Linda Page, had promised to respond, but later referred the matter back to the Department of Agriculture. "The dispute by the Cooperatives and Enterprise Development (CED) is still not resolved at the General Public Service Sector Bargaining Council (GPSSBC), thus the matter is still sub judice. Notwithstanding, the department presented a draft settlement agreement to Nehawu. "Nehawu is to seek a mandate from its affected members prior to signing. Thus, the media questions cannot be responded to until the dispute is resolved," Moses Rannditsheni, the Department of Agriculture's director for media and external communication, said. However, on behalf of CED workers, Toka Nkofu from the Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSASA) union, accused both departments of failing to address the issues raised by CEDs following numerous efforts to engage the employer. Speaking on behalf of Nehawu, Zamo Mpekule echoed Nkofu's sentiments, stating: "Nehawu lodged a formal dispute as mandated by the CED employee. A conciliation part of the dispute failed last week as the employer proposed a sham offer of 70% Agriculture and 30% Land Reform. These employees demanded to be returned to Land Reform, all of them, as they know nothing about agriculture, and they do not even have qualifications related to agriculture." [email protected]

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store