On the eve of its annual congress, Agri SA has urged South Africans to recognise and protect small-scale and commercial farmers alongside farmworkers as a “crucial asset.” To achieve this, the national rural safety strategy should be prioritised as a matter of “national interest and urgency.”
“Government needs to take immediate steps to address [a] surge in violence as South Africa’s local food production and food security hangs in the balance,” warns Uys van der Westhuijzen, chairperson of Agri SA’s centre of excellence for rural safety.
Van der Westhuijzen says farming communities bear the consequences of what he describes as police minister Bheki Celi’s lack of emphasis on rural safety during his budget speech earlier this year.
In recent months, there has been a spike in violent farm attacks across the country. This week, a man was arrested following the murder of Nicky Janse van Rensburg, a young farmer from Roedtan, Limpopo. Among other political parties, the Freedom Front Plus asked government to urgently declare farm attacks and murders as priority crimes.
Van der Westhuijzen also expressed its concern over violent crime in Mpumalanga where it has witnessed “a disproportionate increase in violent farm attacks, including the brutal attack on a macadamia farmer with a panga on his property. The upward trend in these attacks has been evident for months now, and urgent action is required.”
“We cannot allow unchecked violence to continue to threaten the lives of members of farming communities, nor can a generalised climate of lawlessness be allowed to jeopardise rural livelihoods and local food production.”
Meanwhile, Agri SA executive director Christo van der Rheede urged Cele to fast-track some of the key interventions already identified to increase rural safety.
“The National Development Plan places a premium on agricultural development and job creation, which in turn ties in with the sector’s responsibility to produce sufficient and affordable food. But South Africa’s capacity to produce food locally should never be taken for granted. It is fragile and dependent on the creation of safe and stable farming communities,” he said.
Van der Westhuijzen added, “Given the known shortcomings of policing in farming communities, we urge farming communities to take additional safety measures. Communities need to be alert and to step up their security. Despite the inefficiencies in the system, report all suspicious-looking people, activities and crimes to your nearest police station. It is essential to maintain good communication with the local police.”
Agri SA’s congress kicks off in Gauteng tomorrow morning with farmers and many other role players, including government, will deliberate on some of the challenges facing the agriculture sector. President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to deliver the keynote address.
ALSO READ: Farming is the toughest job in the world. Here’s why
