A new legal movement representing the interests of African farmers is born – the Azania Indigenous Movement, also known as AIM. Its nascent entry into agriculture follows years of discussion among budding corporate lawyers.
“How best to represent the interests of African farmers following tumultuous years of economic
exclusion, assistance and degradation. We have heard harrowing accounts of farmers pleas,
challenges, concerns and hardships” said its director Vuyokazi Mpela.
AIMs vision is to uplift the African farming and low-income communities, protecting their civil rights and interests.
“Our farmers are mainly marginalised legislatively and have no voice to represent them. We have
come to realise that the affairs of farmers are preoccupied on production than in boardroom fevers and unfortunately for them, this is where legislative decisions and future about an industry are taken, excluding their interests in the process” Mpela adds.
Furthermore, AIM will be membership based but also tackling areas of common social responsibility or member farmers. Throughout our 3-year engagement with commodity farmers, the complaints have all but been the same; lack of finance, support and market access.
Case in point is the COVID-19 Agricultural Disaster Support Fund, some of AIMs members who have
been farming for years and who have applied for the fund, have been notified that they have not
qualified for the grant but no reasons stated why. Normally, an African farmer would leave it to be but AIM is saying it can’t be, not this time around.
Altogether, AIM will ensure civil rights of black farmers and landowners are protected and keep our members and interested sections of society up to date on the latest amendments in legislation.Areas of focus will be on land care, market access, finance and legislation.
