The country’s forestry sector will be in the spotlight this week when a parliamentary committee summonses directors of forestry companies to testify about the working conditions of forestry workers.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Rosina Semenya, said on Sunday that it was concerning that over 20 years of democracy people of the Southern Cape still worked like slaves with no benefits in the sector.
“The last meeting of the Committee in November will be with the company directors, owners and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. What the Committee has heard in the Southern Cape is unacceptable. The sector cannot refuse to transform, transformation is non-negotiable,” Semenya said.
“Empowerment should happen, we cannot have a situation in our country where companies want to extract resources and yet not empower communities. It is a shame for our democracy that our people still live in slave-like conditions,” she said.
The Committee conducted public hearings on the National Forests Amendment Bill in Knysna on Friday.
“It heard from the communities that women contractors in the forestry industry were being culled and that the living conditions were those of “bush people”, said Semenya.
She said the Bill seeks to address this anomaly and that it would promote participation of women-owned contractors in the industry. “We are happy we came to the Southern Cape and the valuable input from these communities will assist the process of amending the bill greatly.”
She said the conditions as described by communities were similar to those found in other forest areas throughout the country.
