Injured farmworkers still waiting for help

A COMMUNITY Advisory Services group based in Kraaifontein says 80 farmworkers who were involved in an accident last month when the truck they were travelling in overturned on the R44 off-ramp just before Durbanville last month have not received any help from their employer.

According to CAS member Linda Phito, the dissatisfied group of farmworkers is claiming that they have also not received their wages.

“Some of the farmworkers who were involved in the incident that occurred in Paarl late last month approached us for assistance. They told us that since the accident, their employer has not settled their benefits, sick leave, or gave them their wages.”

“As a community advisory services organisation, we want to assist where we can, and in this instance, we advised the group to report the issue to the department of labour and seek further advice from legal aid. This is a sensitive situation and we wanted to ensure that the aggrieved group received the best possible help.”

One of the injured farmworkers’ spouses said that he had decided to approach CAS on behalf of his wife whose leg was broken in the truck accident.

“My wife’s leg was broken in that accident, and since it happened, she has not received any assistance from her employer.

Instead, he told her that there was not much he could do since it was almost the end of the season. It’s not the end yet, and her colleagues are at work, but because of her broken leg, she can’t work. No support, and no pay in the middle of a pandemic. The situation is very bad.”

Rural and Farmworkers Development Executive Director Billy Claasen said although he had not been directly approached by the aggrieved group, he was more than willing to assist them in resolving their problem. Claasen said: “One thing we need to be clear on is that in cases like this farmers need to adhere to protocols. There are systems in place that need to be followed and the same goes for the farmworkers.”