13 / 37
ႃႅ
CHAPTER 2
investigate structural solutions for the problem with the fixing of an acceptable
maize price. This was particularly important in view of the role that maize played
as the staple food of a large part of South Africa’s population.
The request was received well by the government, which agreed that such a
committee should be appointed. The discussions in this regard took place in
September 1984, but by March 1985 the committee had – according to Von Abo
– not done anything yet. When the maize price was announced in April 1985 it
was effectively at the same level as that of the previous year despite the pres-
entation made by the Maize Board based on calculations by the Department
of Agriculture.
The producer members of the Maize Board refused to accept the price that was
announced (it was rejected by twelve votes to one) and on 25 April 1985 eight of
them resigned from the Board.
Because of the untenable situation the Minister of Agriculture was requested to
arrange a meeting with Mr PW Botha, the State President, for a delegation from the
maize producers. The Minister agreed to try and arrange this, but warned that the
representatives of the producers were bearding the lion in its den. He managed to
arrange the meeting, at which Messrs Hennie de Jager and Boetie Viljoen of NAMPO,
together with Mr Kobus Jooste of the South African Agricultural Union, represented
the producers.
The meeting was held in Tuynhuys in Cape Town and was also attended by Messrs
Greyling Wentzel, Barend du Plessis (Minister of Finance) and the State President’s
personal secretary. The State President did not take much heed of the delegation’s
proposals. He pointed out to them that the price of maize had risen by considerably
more than the prices of other agricultural products in the previous year. Counter-
arguments fell on deaf ears.
When it transpired that the discussion of the maize price would not bear any
results, Mr Jooste used the opportunity to talk to the State President about a loan
of R100 million that had been intended for the SAAU. Mr Botha had already lost his
temper and said that after the previous discussion he felt like cancelling the loan.
During the discussion he also threatened to reconsider the interest subsidy that
producers enjoyed at the time and that was an extremely important aid to many
producers. The delegation returned empty handed and reported back accordingly
to the maize producers at a mass meeting in the Markotter Stadium in Klerksdorp
the next day.
In the meantime, the dissatisfaction about the maize price and the continued refusal
by the Minister of Agriculture to adjust the price led to many producers deciding
not to deliver any maize. In some cases the supporters of the action even tried to
physically prevent producers who were not in favour of the action from delivering
their maize to the silos of the co-operatives. Access to silo premises was barred by
long queues of trailers with maize parked at the entrance, but not delivered.
AT THE TIME WHEN
MINISTER GREYLING
WENTZEL WANTED TO
ANNOUNCE THE MAIZE
PRICE, THE CHAIRPERSON,
MR CRAWFORD VON ABO
AND OTHER SENIOR OFFICE
BEARERS OF THE MAIZE
BOARD WERE ON A MISSION
TO THAILAND. WHEN THEY
LEARNT THAT THE MINISTER
INTENDED ANNOUNCING
THE MAIZE PRICE THEY
RETURNED TO SOUTH
AFRICA IMMEDIATELY TO
ATTEND THE MEETING,
WHERE THE EVENTS
EXPLAINED ALONGSIDE
TOOK PLACE.
THE PERSONS WHO
RESIGNED AS MEMBERS OF
THE MAIZE BOARD AT THE
MEETING WERE MESSRS
CRAWFORD VON ABO, BOETIE
VILJOEN, HENNIE DELPORT,
GERRIT GREEN, CERNEELS
CLAASSEN, CORNELIS
LEONARD, MOF VISSER AND
WILLIE VAN DER RYST.
Mr Boetie Viljoen
Mr Hennie de Jager
Sound bite: Mr Boetie Viljoen’s recount of the
meeting in Tuynhuys with the former State
President, Mr PW Botha.
