South Africa has chosen the month March as the month to commemorate our Constitutional Rights.  This commemoration is the result of the period between 1959 to 1960 when the PAC organization led a campaign for civil rights and an end to the pass laws. The most significant of these peaceful protests occurred in Sharpville, Gauteng and Langa in Cape Town. But the apartheid government forces brutally suppressed and killed the demonstrators. The month of March serves as a reminder of the struggles and sacrifices made by South Africans during the apartheid era.

The South African constitution is regarded as one of best constitutions in the world but most South Africans live in very bad conditions. Unemployment is a major issue in South Africa, with over 14 million people, including many women and youth, out of employment.

The second chapter of the Constitution of South Africa establishes that the constitutional law is the foundation of democracy, dignity, equality and freedom.  However, despite everything, the constitution doesn’t mention the Right to Employment.

The lack of job opportunities in rural areas and the decline of traditional industries due to globalisation has left many young people without work. South Africa, due to its colonial history and racial discrimination, faces many challenges in its efforts to develop strong industries capable of creating sustainable job opportunities for its people. The lack of education and training opportunities for disadvantaged communities and the exploitation of workers by employers are major obstacles to progress in this regard

From 1994 to 2002, over a million jobs were lost, and the unemployment rate rose to over 40%. The situation has since improved slightly, but there is still much work to be done to create more job opportunities and to protect the rights of workers. The global economic recession of 2008 and the Covid-19 pandemic have further exacerbated the problem of unemployment in South Africa, leaving many people struggling to find work.

It is therefore essential that South Africa upholds, enforces and includes the right to employment in the constitution to bring back the dignity of its citizens. Steps should be taken to create more job opportunities and to improve working conditions for all people. The struggle for employment rights is part of the ongoing struggle for freedom and equality in South Africa.

Naha ya Aforika Borwa e hlwaile kgwedi ena ya Hlakubele ele ya ho keteka ditokelo tsa batho. Sehopotso sena se tliswa ke diketsahlo tsa bo 1959-1960 moo mokgatlo wa PAC o ile wa kena letsholong la boipelaetso le kgahlanong le ditokelo tsa botho le melawana ya dipasa. Ho bolelwa ha matsholo ana a boipelaetso e ne ele a kgotso mane motseng wa Sharpville, Gauteng le motseng wa Langa ho la Motse Kapa empa sepolesa sa ka nako eo sa mmuso wa kgethollo se ile sa thunya baipelaetsi ka sehloho, ke ka hoo ho ketekwang kgweding ena ya Hlakubele mona Aforika Borwa.

Molaotheo wa Naha ya Aforika Borwa o nkuwa jwaloka o tswelletseng pele lefatsheng ka bophara fela baahi ba naha ena bantse ba phela ka tlasa maemo a seng hantle. Tlhokeho ya mosebetsi ke bothata bo boholo mona Aforika Borwa ebile le dipalopalo ho tswa ho ba STATSSA di supa hore ke dimilione tse 14 tsa bath oba sa sebetseng haholo basadi le batjha.

Kgaolo ya bobedi ya molaotheo e bua ka molao wa ditokelo e hlalosa hore molao wa ditokelo ke motheo wa temokrasi Aforika Borwa, e sireletsa ditokelo tsa batho bohle ka naheng le ho tiisa ditokelo tsa demokrasi , ho boloka serithi,tekatekano le tokoloho, empa ka hare ho molao wa ditokelo ha hona tokelo ya ho sebetsa.

Maqakabetsi a tlhokeho ea mesebetsi a metse ka metso sebopehong sa moruo oa Afrika Boroa oo moruo o seng oa liindasteri o itšetlehileng ka thomello ea thepa e tala le ho tsoa kantle ho naha ea thepa ea boleng bo holimo. Ka maemo a phahameng hakana a ho se lekane a bakilweng ke kgatello ya naha ya batho ba batsho tlasa bokoloniale le kgethollo, Aforika Borwa ha e a ka ya hlola e kgona ho hlahisa mmaraka o moholo wa ka hare o ka tshehetsang ntshetsopele ya diindaseteri tse matla tsa lehae tse kgonang ho fana ka ditlhoko tsa baahi ba rona. Ho amohuoa mobu le ho theoa ha tsamaiso ea mesebetsi ea bafalli ho boletse hore ke batho ba fokolang haholo Afrika Boroa ba phelang ka mobu ‘me ba ameha temong e le ho khotsofatsa litlhoko tsa bona tsa lijo kapa ho hlahisetsa ‘maraka oa lehae.

Ho tloha ka 1994 ho isa ho 2002 mesebetsi e fetang milione e le ‘ngoe e ile ea lahleheloa ke mosebetsi mme tlhokeho ea mesebetsi e nyolohetse ho feta 40%. Tahlehelo e kholo ea mesebetsi e tsamaellana le ho hlahisoa ha leano la lisebelisoa, kaha phokotso ea tšebeliso ea chelete ea mmuso, tokoloho ea khoebo le khoebo ea poraefete e sitisitse moruo le ho baka tahlehelo e eketsehileng ea mesebetsi. Mesebetsi e meng e limilione tse 1,2 e ile ea lahleha lipakeng tsa Mphalane 2008 le Hlakubele 2010 ka lebaka la ho qaleha ha mathata a lichelete lefatšeng ka bophara, a fetotsoeng ho putlama ho hoholo ha ba bangata ba neng ba tlositsoe mobung ba ka fumana mesebetsi makaleng a mantlha a moruo. moruo.

Naha ya Afrika Borwa hore e kgutlise serithi sa baahi ba yona ke hore e kenye tokelo ya ho sebetsa ebe molaotheong. Mmuso o nke bohato ba fana ka menyetla ya mesebetsi hobane thlokeho ya mesebetsi ke karolo ya ntwa e tswelang pele ya tokoloho le tekatekano Africa Boroa

All over the world, there are millions of farmers, peasants, artisanal fishers, and other people mobilising and organising around agroecology as a way of opposing agri-business control and takeover of our food system. Who produces food, how food is produced, processed and distributed and sold/ acquired are key political questions and sites of struggle in the 21^st Century. Agroecology seeks to help peasants, farmers and small producers to move “beyond the domains and limits imposed by capital”.

FARMING AND AGRICULTURE AS A SIGHT OF STRUGGLE FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC JUSTICE
Agriculture is one of the key areas where capitalism is trying to maximise profits. As a result, our food systems worldwide are being increasingly industrialised and controlled by agri-business multinational corporations (MNCs), turning food into a market commodity that millions cannot afford. This violates people’s inherent right to food and right to life, creating greater poverty and household food insecurity and unprecedented levels of hunger worldwide,

Industrial agriculture is also poisoning our bodies, our environments and attempting to make smallholder farmers consumers of and dependent on inputs (e.g. seeds, fertilisers, pesticides) supplied by agri-business often with the support of subsidies from our governments. The use of these inputs (which rely on fossil fuels) and large-scale destruction of forests across the world is also one of the main contributors to climate change.

Agriculture in developing countries in the global South (Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America) is specifically targeted. Besides targeting national agriculture production, MNCs and some funders also target smallholder farmers and put them under pressure to “modernise”.   They promote local projects based on the Green Revolution, dependent on the purchase of ‘improved seeds’, GMOs, and industrial fertilisers and pesticides. These destroy biodiversity and poison our soils. Once farmers start using these inputs it is very difficult to reverse these processes and stop dependency. These MNCs projects also promote mono-cropping, adoption of new technologies, contract farming, food and other crops for exports and even of food and other crops for agro-fuels. Some programmes also promote ‘organic mono-crop farming’ and ‘climate smart agriculture’. Not only do such programmes destroy traditional farming by promoting the use of expensive ‘organic inputs’, often produced by the same agri-MNCs that produce the agro-chemicals we reject, but they also destroy biodiversity and often produce for export.

All this is creating havoc in rural areas. Women are often the most badly affected as they are, traditionally, responsible for the production of food and for providing care in their households.

AGROECOLOGY AND TRADITIONAL FARMING
Agroecology seeks to counteract the many damages being done by industrial agriculture. Agroecology promotes sustainable farming practices, the production of food that promote health and varied diets that are in tune with our different cultures and seeks to ensure greater social and environmental justice in the world.

Agroecology encourages the use of traditional farming practices/ methods developed by our ancestors and that have sustained humanity for thousands of years.  These practices vary widely across the world but they all try to work in harmony with nature and the surrounding environments, based on traditional scientific knowledge. We can say that all these methods are agroecological. This is our collective heritage developed and accumulated through a dialogue between different farmers.

Besides traditional farming methods, agroecology also incorporates new contemporary scientific knowledge and innovations, as long as they serve the interests and needs of smallholder food producers and the impoverished in general.

AGROECOLOGICAL GENERAL FARMING PRINCIPLES
Agroecological general farming principles include: the recycling of biomass; the preservation of healthy soils; recovering, propagating traditional seeds; biodiversity; integrated crop and livestock farming; increasing consumption of locally produced food; minimising water losses – all practices that can contribute towards reducing global warming and promote food sovereignty.

No ‘fixed recipes’: Agroecology does not prescribe ‘fixed recipes’– it is site specific. Therefore, farmer-to-farmer exchanges are key to agroecology, so that farmers can learn from each other and experiment with “best” practices.

Some political principle/ values in agroecology
While acknowledging the value of different traditional farming practices, which are often designated by different names (organic farming, natural farming, sustainable agriculture, etc), there are some political principles and values that we can say guide and distinguish agroecology: the call for land and agrarian reform; no to the private ownership of our natural resources but rather collective control of our commons (land, water, springs, lakes and seas, fisheries, forests and minerals); the right of farmers to save/ use/ multiply/ exchange/ sell their own seeds; no exploitation of labour; seeking ways to improve the livelihoods and standards of living of smallholder producers and ensure that they remain autonomous producers. Agroecology also promotes these principles regarding urban farming.

Historical relevance of agroecology for us, in the SADC region and Africa: Historically, under colonialism, many African farmers and people throughout the continent were dispossessed of their land and forced to grow cash crops rather than food. Besides impoverishing millions of people, this dispossession undermined and, in some places, even destroyed traditional African farming. In South Africa in specific, the legacy of colonial and apartheid land dispossession remain with us. In other SADC countries, where some land degree of land restitution was gained after independence, these gains are being lost as land and water grabs have been increasing for the last 30-40 years.

FEMINIST PRACTICES AND AGROECOLOGY
As a movement that promotes the self-organisation of women and fights to change the world and the lives of women, feminist practices in agroecology also include struggles against key manifestations of capitalism: patriarchy, racism, violence, oppression and exploitation of both peoples’ labour and nature as a whole. Feminists insist that while we need and rely on natural resources for our survival and livelihoods we must acknowledge and respect their limits and preserve nature.

Feminists question and reject the capitalist conception of the economy that only sees value in activities carried out in the capitalist market – ie. based on wage labour and buying and selling goods and services for profit but does not recognise the value of “invisible” work that is mostly carried out by women. For example, the work done by rural women on a daily basis – producing and preparing food for the household, nurturing and taking care of the family to ensure the next generation of farmers and workers – is never recognised.

While feminists assert the need for monetary income, feminist agroecologists seek different ways of organising the economy: to achieve a balance between self-consumption and sales and encouraging short circuits (whereby producers are as close as possible to consumers); a solidarity economy that incorporates and values reciprocity, self-management and overcomes the sexual division of labour. However, for women to enter new economic spaces they must have the right and access public services such as transport, health and education.

I-AGROECOLOGY NOLIMO LWESIQHELO

I-Agroecology izama ukulungisa umonakalo omninzi obangelwe ngamashishini ezolimo. I-Agroecology ikhuthaza ulimo oluzinzileyo, ukuveliswa kokutya okukhuthaza impilo kunye nendlela yokutya eyahlukahlukeneyo ehambelana neenkcubeko zethu ezahlukahlukeneyo kwaye ifuna ukuqinisekisa ubulungisa kwezentlalo nokusingqongileyo kumhlaba wonke.

I-Agroecology ikhuthaza ukusetyenziswa kweendlela zolimo eziqhelekileyo/ iindlela zokulima ezazisetyenziswa ngookhokho bethu neziye zanceda uluntu kangangamawaka eminyaka.  Ezi ndlela zahluke kakhulu kulo lonke ihlabathi kodwa zonke zizama ukusebenzisana nendalo kunye neendawo ezingqongileyo ngokusekelwe kwiinzululwazi efunyenwe ngolwazi lokwemvelo. Singathi zonke ezi ndlela zi-agroecological. Eli lilifa lethu sonke eliveliswe ngenxa yokuthethathethana kwamafama ahlukahlukeneyo.

Ngaphandle kweendlela zokulima eziqhelekileyo, i-agroecology ikwaquka iindlela eziphucukileyo ezintsha ezihambelana nolwazi lwenzululwazi yakutshanje, ukuba nje oko kuphumeza iinjongo neemfuno zamafama asakhasayo kunye nabantu abahluphekayo ngokubanzi.

IMIGAQO GABALALA YOKULIMA NGE-AGROECOLOGY
Imigaqo gabalala yokulima nge-agroecology iquka: ukuphinda kusetyenziswe izinto ezibolayo; ukunyamekelwa komhlaba onemveliso; ukufumana kwakhona, ukuphindaphinda iimbewu zokwemvelo; ukwahluka kwezityalo nezilwanyano; ukudibanisa ulimo nokufuya impahla; ukwanda kokuba kutyiwe ukutya okuveliswe ekuhlaleni; ukunciphisa ukulahleka kwamanzi – zonke izinto ezinegalelo ekunciphiseni ukuba shushu komhlaba zize zikhuthaze ukongama kokutya.

Akukho ‘ndlela ziqingqiweyo’: I-Agroecology ayinazo ‘iindlela eziqingqiweyo’ zokwenza izinto — ilungela loo ndawo. Ngenxa yoko, uthethwano lwabalimi lungundoqo kwi-agroecology ukuze abalimi bafunde kwabanye baze bazame ‘ezona’ ndlela zisebenzayo.

Eminye imigaqo yopolitiko/ imilinganiselo ye-agroecologo: Ngoxa sivuma ukuxabiseka kweendlela zokulima eziqhelekileyo, ezidla ngokunikwa amagama awohlukahlukeneyo (ukulima kwesiqhelo, ukulima ngokwemvelo, ulimo oluzinzileyo, njl) kukho imigaqo nemilinganiselo yopolitiko esinokuthi ikhokela ize yahlule i-agroecology: iphulo lwenguquko kubunini bomhlaba; ukungavumi ukuba izinto zemvelo zibe nabanini abangamashishini abucala kodwa bonke abantu balawule (umhlaba, amanzi, imithombo, amachibi kunye nolwandle, ukuloba, amahlathi kunye nezimbiwa); ilungelo labalimi ukugcina//ukwandisa/ukutshintshiselana ngembewu zabo; ukuxhatshazwa kwabasebenzi; ukukhangela iindlela zokupucula impilo yabantu kunye nomgangatho wokuphila kubalimi abasakhasayo kunye nokuqinisekisa ukuba ngabavalisi abazimeleyo. I-Agroecology ikhuthaza le migaqo malunga nolimo lwasezidolphini.

Ukuhambelana ngokwembali kwe-agroecology kuthi, kwingingqi ye-SADC nase-Afrika: Ngokwembali, phantsi kobukoloniyali, amafama amaninzi angama-Afrika kunye nabantu abakwilizwekazi lonke bebohluthwa umhlaba baze banyanzeliswe ukuba balime izityalo ezithengiswayo endaweni yokulimela ukuzondla. Ngaphandle kokwenza izigidi zabantu zihlupheke, oku kuhluthwa komhlaba kwajongela phantsi kwaye kwezinye iindawo kwatshabalalisa ulimo lwama-Afrika. EMzantsi Afrika sisabona iziphumo zobukoloniyali kunye norhulumente wocalucalulo. Kwamanye amazwe akwiSADC, apho ukubuyiselwa okuthile komhlaba kwabakho emva kokuba loo mazwe afumana ukuzimela, oko kuyalahleka njengoko kuye kusanda ukoxuthwa komhlaba namanzi kule minyaka iyi-30-40 idlulileyo..

INDLELA YOKWENZA IZINTO YABABHINQILEYO NE-AGROECOLOGY
Njengombutho okhuthaza ukuzilungelelanisa kwamabhinqa nolwa ukuba kubekho utshintsho kubomi bamabhinqa emhlabeni wonke, iindlela zamabhinqa kwi-agroecology ziquka ukuzabalaza nxamnye nokubonakala koshishino: amadoda alawulayo, ucalucalulo, ubundlobongela, ucinezelo nokuxhatshazwa kwabantu abasebenzayo kunye nendalo. Abathetheli bamabhinqa anyanzelisa ngelithi siyadinga kwaye kufuneka sixhomekeke kwizinto zemvelo ukuze sikwazi ukuphila kwaye kufuneka sivume size sihlonele ukulinganiselwa kwawo ekulondolozeni indalo.

Abathetheli mabhinqa ayathandabuza kwaye ayayichasa indlela yoshishino yokubakho koqoqosho oluxabisa izinto ezenzelwa ezoshishino — ukutsho oko, ngokusekelwe kubasebenzi ababhatalwayo nokuthenga nokuthengisa iimpahla neenkonzo ukuze kwenziwe inzuzo kodwa kungavumi ukuxabiseka komsebenzi “ongabonwayo” owenziwa ngamabhinqa amaxesha amaninzi. Ngokomzekelo, umsebenzi owenziwa yonke imihla ngamabhinqa ahlala ezilalini – ukuvelisa nokulungiselela ukutya kwemizi yabo, ukunyamekela intsapho nokuqinisekisa ukuba isizukulwana esilandelayo sabalimi nabasebenzi awuye unconywe.

Ngoxa abalwela amabhinqa ebethelela imfuneko yengeniso yemali, abathethela amabhinqa kwi-agroecology bakhangela iindlela ezahlukileyo zokulungelelanisa ezoqoqosho ukuze kukwazi ukulungelelaniswa phakathi kokuthengisa nokuzondla nokukhuthaza ukusondelelana (apho abavelisi basondele kangangaoko kubathengi), indibaniselwano ebandakanya ize ixabise ukubuyekeza, ukuzilawula negqitha ngaphaya kokwahlulwa kwabasebenzi ngokwesini sabo. Sekunjalo, ukuze amabhinqa angene kumathuba oqoqosho amatsha, kufuneka akwazi ukufikelela kwiinkonzo zoluntu ezifanelekileyo ezifana nothutho, impilo kunye nemfundo.

Botshabelo Unemployed Movement (B.U.M) is an organisation of unemployed people within the Free State Province. B.U.M’s offices are in Section E at number 1230, in the building of Botshabelo Multifunctional Centre (B.M.C) in Botshabelo village.

Botshabelo Unemployed Movement runs many campaigns such as the anti-austerity campaign. The movement is also part of campaigns to fight poverty in the city of Botshabelo by actively participating in agriculture. Th Botshabelo Unemployed Movement has worked on agricultural issues for a long time but in 2022 it was given the opportunity to build an Agroecology Hub by the Trust for Community Outreach and Education (TCOE). The B.U.M Agroecology Hub has a team who oversees the hub’s day to day activities. The people working in the  B.U.M Hub are eight in number, five of them are mothers and three are fathers.

Sebata Lebohang Morata is one of the students at the Hub and a resident of Botshabelo. The 49-year-old Morata says that he appreciates the opportunity that TCOEA has given him to be  part of the Agroecology Hub (AE-Hub) in his village. He explained how the first step in the implementation process has awakened his love for agriculture. Morata adds that as they work with the land, there will be more job opportunities for unemployed youth. The B.U.M Hub has brought change to the life of Matshediso Moholo who is volunteer at the hub.   The 29 year old Moholo says that as a young woman, she will take the opportunity to work in hub to fight poverty that was worsened by the Covid pandemic. “Times have changed. It’s time for young women to stand up because we know that women are the pillars of the communities,” says Moholo.

Bobohang Molefe who is an expert at the B.U.M AE Hub said he would like to thank everyone who is working so hard at the hub. A variety of vegetables, fruits and herbs are available at the hub. Molefe says that through this project they have helped 58 families with seeds for their household gardens. Molefe says that through this work in agriculture, the movement will be able to achieve great things and provide training to the families that seeds were distributed to. “I would like to encourage women and young people to invest in agriculture because it is the backbone of our country,” Molefe added.

Botshabelo Agroecology Hub’s mission is to see local food systems back in the control of the people and to fight poverty. There is no time to sleep when you are a farmer! The hub has taught young people to be proud of their minds and work with their hands. This hub will fight for development within the city of Botshabelo and the province as a whole, and has assisted B.U.M  to grow further.

Botshabelo Unemployed Movement (B.U.M) ke mokgatlo wa batho ba sa sebetseng ka hare ho Porofense ya Foreisetata . B.U.M dikantoro tsa yona di karolong ya E nomorong ya 1230, moahong wa Botshabelo Multifunctional Center (B.M.C) motseng wa Botshabelo.

Botshabelo Unemployed Movement o na le matsholo a mangata a sebetsanang le ona jwaloka ka letsholo la ho ema kgahlanong le ho fokotswa hwa ditekanyetso (austerity), le dichelete.  Sethatong mokgatlo ona o kene letsholong la ho lwantsha bofuma ka hare ho motse wa Botshabelo ka ho nka karolo e kgolo tabeng tsa temo. Botshabelo Unemployed Movement e sebeditse ka taba tsa temo ka nako e telele empa selemong se fetileng sa 2022 eile ya fumantshwa monyetla wa hore e ahe Agro-Ecology Hub ke mokgatlo eo e seng wa mmuso wa Trust Community Outreach Education (TCOE) selemong 2022. B.U.M Agroecology Hub e na le botsamaise ba e hlokomelang letsatsi le letsatsi, batho ba sebetsang ka hare ho Hub ena ya B.U.M ba robedi(8) ka palo, ba bahlano ba bona ke bomme ha ba bararo ele bontate.

Sebata Lebohang Morata ke emong wa baithuti ka hare ho Hub, ke letswalla la Botshabelo. Morata ya dilemo tse 49 o bolela hore o ananela seo se entsweng ke mokatlo wa TCOE ka hoba fumantsha monyetla wa ho aha Agroecology Hub (AE-Hub) Ka hare ho motse wa bona, o hlalositse hoya pele ka lereng ho kenywa tshebetsong ha leano lena la Hub, ho tloha le sa le qalong, le  tsositse lerato leo anang le lona la temo. Morata o re jwaloka ha ba sebetsa ka mobu, menyatla ya mesebetsi etloba mongata bakeng sa batjha ba sa sebetseng. Hub ena ya B.U.M e tlisitse phetoho ho Motshidisi Moholo eo e leng moithaopi ka hare ho Hub. Moholo ya dilemo tse mashome a mabedi le metso e robong o bolela hore ena jwaloka mosadi ya motjha o tlo nka monyetla ona wa ho sebetsa ka hare ho Hub ho lwantshana le tlala e bakilweng ke sewa sa covid. “Dinako di fetohile ha jwale, ke nako yah ore basadi ba batjha ba emme ka maoto hoba Mosotho oile a bua are mosadi otshwara thipa ka bohaleng” ke mantswe a Moholo ao.

Lebohang Molefe e leng setsibi ho B.U.M AE Hub o re o rata ho leboha basebetsi ba sebetsang ka thata ho Hub ya bona. Re na le tse latelang ka hare ho Hub ya rona: meroho ya mefuta -futa , ditholwana le ditlhare tsa mefuta-futa. Molefe o re ho thakgoweng ha projeke ena ya Hub ka hare ho Botshabelo ba thusitse malapa a mashome a mahlano le metso e robedi(58) ka di peo. Molefe o re ka mosebetsi on awa temo obatla ho fihlella tse kgolo le ho fana ka dithupello ho malapa eo re a abetseng dipeo. Molefe o phetetse ka mantswe “ Ke rata ho kgothatsa basadi le batjha hore b akene ka sekgahla ho tsa temo hobane ke yone mokokotlo wana hana ya rona”

Botshabelo Agroecology Hub maikemisetso a yona ke ho bona taba ya taolo ya dijo e kgutlela bathong le ho lwantsha bofuma ka hare ho Botshabelo. Ha hona kgomo ya boroko ha o le sehwai.

Botshabelo Agroecology Hub e tlisitse dithuto ho batho ba batjha tabeng ya hore ba itjhorise dikelellong le ho sebetsa ka matsoho, Hub ena e tlo lwanela hore hobe le ntshetsopele ka hare ho motse wa Botsahabelo le porofenseng ka kakaretso, leano lena le entse hore mokgatlo wa B.U.M  o hole.