Protests in Kirkwood were called off yesterday after striking citrus industry workers heard that farmers had agreed to the pay increase they were demanding.
Before the announcement by SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) regional deputy secretary Mbuzeli Javuka, several fires had raged across the small town, with protesters blocking the entrances to the Moses Mabhida, Bergsig and Aquapark townships with rubble and burning tyres.
Plumes of smoke were visible in all directions and schools closed early, sending the pupils home even though they were in the middle of writing examinations.
Many shop owners shut their doors after only a few hours of trading.
The protests started on Wednesday last week when farm workers in the Sundays River Valley embarked on an unprotected strike, demanding that their wages be increased from R16.50 an hour to R20 an hour.
The violent protests – during which two citrus stores and a tractor were burned on Tuesday and a store was burned yesterday – caught the attention of Eastern Cape Rural Development and Agrarian Reform MEC Xolile Nqatha, who had a meeting with the workers yesterday.
Nqatha, who arrived in Kirkwood at about noon, met the workers at the entrance of Moses Mabhida township, which was besieged by protesters.However, his attempts to speak to the workers fell flat and the protesters threw stones and bottles at him, injuring one person.
Nqatha then went to meet the farm owners and other stakeholders involved in the wage negotiations.
At about 3.30pm, Javuka told the protesting workers who had gathered outside the Sundays River Citrus Company, where the meeting was held, that farmers had agreed to increase the hourly wage to R20.
“The farmers have just agreed, it’s just that they were not all in the meeting,” he said.Shortly before 11pm last night, Sanco said the other farmers had also agreed to increase the hourly rate to R20 for the next two years.
“There will no longer be workers that are paid according to whether they have met their targets or according to their different races.
“All workers will get R20 and more an hour.”
Javuka said the R20 as a minimum wage was the only item on the agenda as all other demands had been met last week.
He said the farmers who had not been present would meet today and hopefully sign the agreement.
He had also said earlier that none of the workers would report to work today or tomorrow unless all the farmers agreed to the increase.
The protesters are planning to meet later today at a stadium in Valencia to discuss the way forward.
Efforts to obtain comment from the citrus industry bosses were unsuccessful.
Sundays River Citrus Company chief executive Hannes De Waal and Unifrutti chief executive Deon Joubert both declined to comment, saying they were in a meeting and would comment at a later stage. Police said a number of arrests had been made during the protests, but were unable to provide a figure.
Several people had been released later, they said.
Those arrested were facing charges of public violence and charges related to damage of essential infrastructure.
Police spokesman Captain Majola Nkohli said two people arrested in connection with the protest action would appear in court this morning.