Minister under fire over low pay

IT is illegal to pay a cattle herder anything less than the farm worker minimum wage of R105 a day, unless an exemption has been given by the Labour Department.

That is according to agriculture sector and labour experts, who were shocked by a revelation new Agriculture Minister Senzeni Zokwana paid his cattle herder about R26 a day.

According to a report on Sunday, Zokwana, the former National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) president, pays Vuyolwethu Ndabambi, 21, who works every day of the week herding cattle in the Transkei, R800 a month.

AgriSA president Johannes Moller said the R800 salary was an indictment on Zokwana.

"This is a bad start for the minister. There aren't really any circumstances that can explain it," Moller said.

Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi tweeted yesterday all employers must play by the rules and pay the minimum wage.

"There are no exceptions: all must comply – simple!"

Moller said only farmers who struggled financially could apply to the Department of Labour for an exemption, but they had to prove exceptional circumstances.

Last year, Zokwana reportedly earned R1.2-million a year as president of the NUM.

Rights group AfriForum deputy chief executive Ernst Roest accused the ANC of double standards.

The ANC's usual comment whenever Afriforum raised complaints was white farmers abused labourers, he said. - Philani Nombembe