President Cyril Ramaphosa says land reform will be instrumental in growing the economy.
The President was speaking at the official Reconciliation Day event taking place at a sports ground in Vredendal in the Western Cape.
He says this year’s Day of Reconciliation is dedicated to “healing historical wounds and forging new futures”.
Vredendal is an area where many of the residents are farmworkers.
President Ramaphosa says the democratic dispensation has worked to ensure that farmworkers are treated humanely.
“As we work to reduce unemployment, we see the value of agriculture and land reform in growing our economy and creating jobs for our people. Under the inhumane apartheid system farmworkers bore the brunt of exploitation.”
“White commercial farms were built on the labour of slaves and South Africa’s indigenous people. Since the advent of democracy, we have driven a series of legislative changes to advance the rights of farmworkers. We have passed a law to prevent the arbitrary eviction of families living on farms,” he added.
Source: SABC News
