Posted on 9/17/2007, 1:49:57 AM by blam
Farms seizure warning in South Africa
By Mike Pflanz in Nairobi
Last Updated: 2:30am BST 17/09/2007
Farmers in South Africa have been warned that they could have their land taken from them unless they stop "abusive" policies towards workers.
Most highly productive farmland in South Africa is still in the hands of white farmers. While the government has enacted a "restitution" policy of handing plots to blacks under a willing buyer, willing seller system, critics have said progress has been too slow.
While the situation is far from that witnessed in neighbouring Zimbabwe, tensions have soared recently over alleged illegal lay-offs of workers and mistreatment by farm owners.
Lulu Xingwana, the agriculture and land affairs minister, said at the weekend that some farmers could face tough punishment.
"We are obviously disturbed by the persistent reports of abuses on farms," she said. "For those people who are not keeping [within] the law, the government has the right to expropriate."
Mrs Xingwana was reacting to claims on Wednesday by Dirk du Toit, her deputy minister, that white farmers had a lingering feudal attitude towards their staff.
In response to a question about farmers who lay off and evict workers unlawfully, Mr Du Toit told MPs: "Those people who don't want to hear, we are not only going to take them to court, we are going to also take their land away from them."
The leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, called Mr Du Toit's statement racist. "As a senior member of the ANC, he [is] insinuating that all of [white farmers] assault their farm workers," said Maans Nel, the party's land affairs spokesman,.
The country's largest farmers' union, Agri SA, said it was not aware of any illegal farm evictions this year.
But it worked so well in Rhodesia...
Ah, yes. South Africa will take a cue from their neighbor, confiscate the farms (killing a few white farmers along the way) and turn them over to “the people”. As a result, food production will plummet and white flight will become even more rampant. In the end, the colonialists will be blamed—not the communists. But not to worry. The UN (read the American taxpayer) will come in to bail these countries out with food aid.
Where's the old Boer spirit? Have they all turned into American-style liberals? Do they shop at Pottery Barn?
They gave up the entire country to a bunch of Marxist thugs and you wonder what happened to their spirit?
+1 (as the kids on the web say when you nail it)
Will America be like this under President Obama?
Some friends of my parents went to South Africa on vacation four years ago. Upon return one of them said he would never go back without taking an AK-47 with him.
I bet the De Beers have something to say.
“Will America be like this under a President Obama?”
One would certainly hope not!! But my fear is that Obama would feel, for political reasons, driven to pay out reparations to both U.S. blacks and African Nations. This will not help but hinder those groups, which seem to be frozen in a tribal attitude.
Blatant example of reverse racism.
“They gave up the entire country to a bunch of Marxist thugs and you wonder what happened to their spirit?”
You have just described the modern Democratic party in America.
you have got that right. - along with a herd of rinos.
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