On+State+of+the+Nation+Address,+FAWU+Media+Release




 * FAWU Media Release, 8 February 2008**

=On State of the Nation Address=

FAWU wishes to express appreciation on the state of the nation address by the State President, particular on issues relating to poverty, inequalities and unemployment.

To this effect, we firstly welcome the lowering of eligibility age for access to old age grant to 60 years for male elders. Although as FAWU we still believe the eligibility age should be lowered to 55 years for all, as we argued in 2002 already.

Equally, we welcome the raising of eligibility age for access to child support grant to 18 years. This vindicates our call made back in 2002. However, we still retain our call for non-targeted, with no means-test, basic income grant of R200 per capita per month.

Secondly, we welcome the emphasis on rural development strategy, including on highlighting the plight of farm dwellers in this regard,

We still believe that the envisioned national summit on the plight of farm dwellers is necessary in order to deliver a comprehensive intervention package that is needed in addressing this plight.

Thirdly, we welcome the call for a much more coordinated and comprehensive intervention mechanism in ensuring speedy but successful land reform, through post- reform support program and agricultural transformation, and through increased access to credit among others. While the creation of black commercial farmers is needed, much emphasis should be placed on creating cooperatives, subsistent and SMME farmers.

However, FAWU is disappointed at the address being silent on the need for decisive government intervention in addressing market failure in the food industry and in sky -rocketing food prices, emanating from morally repugnant price-fixing and excessive pricing in various food chains, such as maize meal, milk and bread production.

We hope that government will not shy away from addressing the issue of price-fixing of stable food, including through competition law review process and through other platforms and new interventions, such as nationalization, creation of state-owned enterprises and setting up of a food price regulator.

Please contact FAWU General Secretary Katishi Masemola**
 * Released by: FAWU media officer, Dominique Swartz

By e-mail

349 words