A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

THE

GRAIN AND OILSEED INDUSTRY

OF SOUTH AFRICA – A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

PREFACE

Louw Stey¥ler

The tragedy of the Anglo Boer War, the first holocaust of the 20th century, in which

so many Afrikaner men, women and children and indigenous African men, women

and children, paid the ultimate price and the subsequent rise of Afrikaner national-

ism had significant consequences for all South Africans. The exploitation of this

deeply ingrained injustice primarily driven by the greed of the British Empire and

the subsequent grossly irresponsible exploitation of these sentiments by Afrikaner

leaders in their endeavour for self-determination, at the exclusion of the indige-

nous peoples, led to the confrontation of the two greatest South African national-

isms, on the one hand Afrikaner nationalism and on the other, African nationalism.

The abuse of political power and the exclusion of the majority led to great con-

frontation. The subsequent political compromise brought about by two prom-

inent South Africans, namely President Nelson Mandela and President FW de

Klerk and the adoption of the Constitution of South Africa in which the right of the

individual is enshrined lay the foundations of an inclusive, democratic approach.

Founded on human dignity, advancement of human rights, freedom of speech,

religion, association and a free press, supremacy of the Constitution and Rule of

Law, universal adult suffrage, national common voters roll, regular elections and

a multi-party system, democratic government to ensure accountability, respon-

siveness and openness.

The tragedy of South Africa is that society has not heeded the example set to all

South Africans by President Nelson Mandela. We need, as a nation, to return to the

ideal of co-operation across civil society, amongst all men and women, if we are

serious about growing the country’s economy and in so doing address the issues

of our time. As a nation we cannot afford the levels of corruption, nepotism and

state capture by so few that have dominated society – past and present. Our Con-

stitutional court has stood as a beacon of hope to all South Africans who demand

a functional, transparent, democratic and caring society.

Despite the political challenges that have faced us all, we must recognise the agri-

cultural sector’s ability to produce the cheapest quality food in the world. However,

we recognise that many of the most vulnerable people in society are unable to

purchase enough food, daily. Herein lies one of our greatest challenges to address

the grinding poverty experienced by so many South Africans. The greatest privi-

lege enjoyed by all South Africans is the food security enjoyed by its citizenry. This

privilege is only possible when there is a mutually beneficial collaboration across

the entire value chain. That beacon of hope is the Constitution and the Constitu-

tional Court.

Transformation is a necessity that has thus far been bedevilled by gross incompe-

tence and unacceptable levels of corruption. Had we co-operated and had there

been inclusive levels of co-operation within this very value chain and government,

we would have progressed far more successfully in the sustainable transformation

of the agricultural sector. Any actions must both be constitutionally and economi-

cally sound, for the maintenance of property values serve as the cornerstone for

To understand the future it is necessary to understand the

past. For humanity seems to continually repeat the mistakes

made throughout history and the calamitous effect that these

historical facts have had on the psyche and the actions of all

the peoples of South Africa.