A march was held in Cape Town on Thursday, 7 October 2026, where over 150 farm workers called on Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson to release public land for housing and for redistribution to farm workers. The march followed a three-day National Farm Worker Platform, hosted by the Women on Farms Project (WFP), where farm workers and representatives from various government departments gathered to discuss concerns and possible solutions.
The National Farm Worker Platform was attended by about 15 farm worker organisations from across South Africa, including the Casual Workers Advice Office, the Rural Women’s Assembly, and unions representing farm workers such as the Commercial Stevedoring Agricultural and Allied Workers Union (CSAAWU) and Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU). The event provided an opportunity for farm workers to raise concerns and engage with officials from government departments, including the departments of employment and labour, as well as land reform and rural development.
During the march, farm workers chanted “resistance everywhere, all the time” and carried placards reading, “We want land for housing” and “We want justice” as they walked through Hanover Street. The organisations called for an urgent meeting with Macpherson and for public land to be redistributed to “farm workers and farm dwellers who have often lived and worked on the land for generations”. They also requested that public land be released for women small-scale farmers and to be used to house farm workers.
According to Carmen Louw, co-director of the Women on Farms Project (WFP), the organisation has seen an increase in evictions in the Stellenbosch area. WFP wants people who work and live on farms to have access to housing and land to grow food for their families. The group believes that limited access to land remains a major contributing factor to the inhumane conditions experienced by many families living and working in farming communities.
Engela van Schalkwyk, a farm worker who lives in De Doorns, shared her personal experience of being evicted from her home after her mother retired from working on a farm. Van Schalkwyk said secure land tenure would make a “huge difference” in her mother’s life, allowing her to have legally recognised rights to live on and use the land she occupied, without the risk of being evicted.
The farm workers presented a memorandum to the Public Works department, highlighting their demands for public land to be released for housing and redistribution. However, Public Works did not send a representative to receive the group’s memorandum or respond to questions by the time of publication.
The issue of land tenure and housing for farm workers remains a pressing concern in South Africa. The march and the National Farm Worker Platform have brought attention to the plight of farm workers, who often live and work on land for generations without secure tenure or access to basic services like housing.
Key points
- Farm workers marched in Cape Town to demand the release of public land for housing and redistribution to workers.
- The march was part of a three-day National Farm Worker Platform, hosted by the Women on Farms Project (WFP).
- Farm workers are seeking secure land tenure to address inhumane living conditions and lack of access to housing and land.
