Women farmworkers demand wealth tax as Budget 2026 fails to address inequality

The organisation said the introduction of a wealth tax could generate between R70 billion and R160 billion annually. As Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered the national Budget Speech this week, organisations representingwomen farmworkerssay government fiscal policy continues to fall short of addressing deep inequality in rural communities, particularly in the Western Cape. The Women on Farms Project (WFP), an organisation working with farmworkers in the Western Cape and Northern Cape, has renewed its call for a wealth tax on South Africa’s richest citizens, arguing that redistributive tax measures are necessary to address persistent inequality and improve the lives of farmwomen.

In its submission to the National Treasury, the organisation said taxing the wealthiest 1% would unlock critical revenue needed to address inequality rooted in colonisation, apartheid, and racialised capitalism. On behalf ofwomen farmworkersand dwellers, the group stated: “WFP again calls upon the National Treasury, together with the South African Revenue Service, to implement a wealth tax on the richest 1% of South Africans.” The organisation argued that “their intergenerational wealth is an untapped tax revenue source that is necessary and just to redress the persistent inequality caused by colonisation, apartheid, and racialised capitalism.” The call comes as provincial leaders, including Western Cape PremierAlan Winde, have emphasised economic growth and job creation in recent policy addresses. However, WFP said economic growth has not translated into dignified livelihoods for women on farms, many of whom earn the national minimum wage of R30.23 per hour.

WFP says women farmworkers continue to earn at or near the national minimum wage of R30.23 per hour, despite contributing to one of the country’s most profitable agricultural sectors. Highlighting stark inequality, the submission notes that 1% of the population, which is made up of approximately 356,000 people, own 55% of the country’s wealth. It contrasts this with the wealth of billionaire businessmanJohann Rupert, whose net worth in 2026 is estimated at over R306 billion.

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“The scale and persistence of such inequality are abhorrent, 32 years after the dawn of democracy,” WFP said. Citing research affiliated with theUniversity of the Witwatersrand, the organisation said a wealth tax on therichest 1%”could raise between R70 and R160 billion per annum”.

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