Within the farm worker and dweller programme SCLC works with a network of CAOs enhancing administrative capacity and the capacity to address the needs of farm workers and dwellers. SCLC also works directly with formations and committees of farm workers and dwellers who are organized to challenge violations on farms. SCLC addresses cases of labour and tenure violations which are reported to the organization. Through SCLC farm workers and dwellers are included in national campaigns.
Within the forestry sector SCLC works with people living in the forestry settlements who are seeking secure tenure, land for agriculture and opportunities within the decommissioning process taking place in the forestry sector. SCLC supports people in organizing as a collective and linking with other forestry communities provincially to strengthen voice.
Transformation, Restructuring, Recommissioning... For Whom?
Community leaders from forestry ex-worker villages from the Southern Cape and Boland have embarked on a mobilization campaign to demand their human rights and livelihoods. They have come together on Saturday, 28 September 2021 in Albertinia to join forces to engage government given the myriad of challenges they are facing. The theme for their campaign is Transformation, Restructuring, Recommissioning … for whom ? as these forestry communities do not benefit from transformation, restructuring and recommissioning in the forestry sector. The new political dispensation promised a range of redress mechanisms that includes community forestry, community based natural resource management and enterprise development. Forestry communities, however, continue to be marginalized. Government perceives them as workers only, not giving them any opportunity for development and empowerment.
Residents in these forestry locations are tenure insecure – they do not own the houses and land. There are plans to relocate residents – a practice that had been applied during years of apartheid. Houses have become unsafe, water quality has deteriorated, residents are unemployed. These villages and its residents - previously the pride of the forestry department – has become forgotten. These declines can all be attributed to privatization within the forestry sector. Government exited from industrial forestry operations and private companies took over the functions of planting, maintenance, harvesting, etc. Privatization led to retrenchments of workers, casualization of labour, deterioration of service delivery and decline of village infrastructure (houses, halls, roads, water, etc). Forestry is seen as an important source for revenue with two big companies having the monopoly in plantation forestry in the Western Cape. Communities are seen as second-class citizens. No programmes of community forestry, community natural resource management and enterprise development are implemented. It appears that the communities from the Western Cape suffers in particular. In other provinces, communities from historically disadvantaged groups run a range of forestry enterprises and own businesses in forestry.
Forestry communities have become frustrated with how they are treated and have organized locally and regionally to engage government. Both community forums from the Southern Cape and Boland submitted their Memoranda of Concerns and Demands to the Forestry Department during June 2021. The Minister of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) responded last week indicating that an Intergovernmental Task Team had been established to respond to the concerns and demands listed.
The meeting at Albertinia strategized and established a plan on how they will engage the Department. A Task Team was established representing both forums to drive this process. The women in Forestry have become strong leaders and replaced the older men who initially engaged government. They understand their complexed reality as they have to care for their families and loved ones. They are persistent and articulate. Viva, the women in Forestry!
SCLC Forestry Intervention
Introduction
The Support Centre for Land Change is a non-government organization operating in the in Western Cape (Garden Route and Central Karoo) and Eastern Cape (western part) Provinces. The organization supports rural and peri-urban communities to broaden their land-based livelihoods through facilitating agrarian reform. One of its target groups comprise forestry dwellers, i.e. workers and their households residing in what is called, “ex-worker villages”. These are villages that were established by the forestry department during the 70's and 80s in remote locations along the foothills of the Cape folded mountains.
Background
Residents comprise forestry workers and their households involved in the management of both plantation and indigenous forests, with the majority involved in plantation forestry. Government was involved in all forestry operations and provided employment in all forestry operations.
During the 70s and 80s workers and their households had been attracted to forestry villages for employments. A range of attractive services were provided. These include neatly built houses each built on a separate plot, education (frequently a primary school), community hall, health services, roads, water and electricity. All infrastructure and services were established and maintained by the forestry department (the then Department of Water affairs and Forestry (DWAF).
A total of about 30 worker villages had been established in the Western Cape Provinces. The purpose of the worker villages was to provide labor in the plantations – planting, harvesting, maintenance and fire protection. Many of the workers that relocated to these villages were originally farm workers from neighboring farms and towns. They did not have any land nor houses of their own (insecurity tenure) and experienced exploitation as workers on farms. The offer of improved conditions and amenities in these worker villages were very attractive.
Workers were mainly male with women taking care of their families. These households experienced a false sense of security given the range of amenities provided. However, they were only valued when they were healthy for work. Those that retire or become ill for work, had to relocate to accommodate new and healthy workers.
The new dispensation brought about a range of additional challenges. Transformation of the sector promised to address historic injustices of landlessness (change of land ownership patters and protection by tenure legislation), improved labor relations (protected by labor legislation), etc.
As part of the transition, Government conducted a range of social awareness programmes to promote community participation and integration in participatory frameworks targeting forestry communities. Awareness programmes included community / social forestry, participatory forest management (PFM) and community based natural resource management (CBNRM) – in line with transformation principles. These programmes seek to enhance and promote human rights, access and ownership of natural resources, enterprise development, women and youth integration, diversifying income (contracts and licenses), etc. Communities that reside close to the natural resources and plantations were particularly targeted.
These promises soon faded with the democratic dispensation changing its economic approach from redress (redistribution and development) towards a market driven approach, i.e. a neo-liberal. The neo-liberal approach promotes capital and privatization of the plantation sector with private companies taking over and industrializing the plantation sector. The social element in forestry is being lost as the priority is industrialization – plantations for profits, benefitting only those with capital, networks and knowledge.
The initial transformation goals set to empower the poor and the landless, however, intensified and increased the vulnerability context of forestry dwellers
The negative impacts brought about by privatization on the workers and their dependents include the following:
lack of access of workers and their households to established plantations for non-timber products; establishment of fences around conservation areas and evicting local people to gain profit; retrenchments of existing workers with private companies bringing in their own labor force. Many therefore left unemployed having plantation forestry skills. Those that seek employment becomes precarious workers (fixed term contracts, seasonal, casual, etc.)
Village infrastructure is not being maintained and becomes dilapidated (houses, halls, roads, water, electricity, etc.), There is no clarity on services provision (water, refuse, roads, etc.) and the maintenance of infrastructure as private companies, agents (Cape Nature and SANPARKS) and government do not maintain these villages.
The houses become dangerous to reside in and the quality of potable water provided, deteriorates;
residents are unclear about government's plan with these villages.
They therefore do not see the need of maintaining these houses as these are owned by government; a monopoly of two big timber companies conducting plantation forestry in the Western Cape providing employment only, with little prospects for ownership and enterprises development for communities.
Cabinet has made a decision for recommissioning of plantation forestry in the Western Cape. This implies re-establishing of pine plantations on designated pieces of land and exiting on others. It also provides land set aside for purposes of conservation and community empowerment. Some of the questions communities have, are the following:
How will communities benefit from land set aside for communities – who will ultimately benefit?
Where are these land portions located – will different communities compete for access / will each community access their own piece of land / will all ex-worker villages benefit?
What are the preferred land uses for these land portions?
How will land be managed given the challenges exposed by common property management?
How will communities access support for enterprise development?
Forestry villages are located in remote setting. Many of these villages do not accommodate government workers anymore. In some cases, services had been transferred to local municipalities where villages are in close proximity to existing towns. However, many residents wish for on-site village development. In many instances, the municipalities are not prepared to provide services to these remote villages given the cost implicated. This is despite the existing infrastructure that had been established by DWAF. Residents are concerned that government might evict and relocate them to informal or low-income settlements of social degradation (violence, theft, unemployment, poverty). A forced relocation option reminds residents of years under apartheid. The existing limitation is the continued government planning along lines of apartheid spatial frameworks. Those that wish for on-site development are concerned that their villages could become low-income settlements, changing the character of their villages.
Gender
Ex-worker villages were established mainly due to the need for male labor in plantations. The males were perceived as the bread winner and leases registered in their names in a patriarchal system. A few women were employed, linked to administration. Most of the women are unemployed and takes care of reproductive duties.
Given the need to organize for improved conditions and tenure security, women took initiative as they were not employed. Women started to speak out and become more articulate in meetings. They soon replaced the men who generally initiated their community organization.
Currently, women occupy the senior portfolios in the community leadership structures. They are strong and understand their complex social reality while the men folk mainly focus on labor relations.
Community Organisation
The majority of villages have established local representative leadership structures to disseminate information to their constituency and to represent communities in their engagement with stakeholders and government.
Forestry communities have established a forestry community forum in the Boland and Southern Cape. A joint Task Team had been established to engage government on their constraints and threats.
Some of their accomplishments include:
Formulating their Memorandum of Concerns and Demands
Submitting their Memorandum to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD)
Reponses from both Ministers – Ms. Barbara Creecy (DFFE) and Mr.Mcebisi Skwatsha (DALRRD) to prioritize the concerns and demands highlighted in the Memorandum
Conclusion
The key issue that emanates from providing support to forestry dwellers is land. Dwellers are landless and do not enjoy tenure security. There had been instances where dwellers faced eviction. The downscaling of these villages, have a direct effect on their livelihoods, i.e. secure employment, income, housing, transport, basic services, etc.
Existing legislation frameworks are detached and does to recognize the context and specific dilemma of forestry dwellers. A social justice element is illusive and dwellers have to fend for themselves.
Will the dignity of the once proud workers of the forestry department be restored – given their context and reality ? Their fears are real considering the existing housing dilemma, continued apartheid spatial frameworks and capacity of government.
