There is no rest for farmers and farmworkers during the festive season as the rate of farm attacks have skyrocketed over the past few weeks. Agricultural role players and community leaders are calling on the government for a more hands-on approach in dealing with the scourge of attacks in farming areas.
This follows the murder of farmer Willem van der Westhuizen on his farm outside Vanrhynsdorp in the Western Cape on Monday, 18 December. His wife also suffered injuries when they were attacked by five men.
However, it is not just farmers and their workers who are under attack.
Petrus Sitho from the organisation PPS Stop Farm Murders said the new trick criminals are using is the poisoning of livestock in some parts of the country.
‘We need help to fight this’
Sitho said he has been criss-crossing the country engaging the police on ways to collaborate on matters that concern rural safety.
“We have had 44 cows being poisoned in Ganyesa in the North West, and that is devastating for a farmer. The incident occurred early in December, that already on its own spoils the mood for the farmer.
“This also puts risks to the jobs for the workers when you have over 40 cows poisoned and dead. How are you going to sustain jobs because the alternative is to retrench workers,” he said.
According to Sitho, he has been speaking to a number of stakeholders with the key message to be on guard during the festive season to protect jobs, wealth and the livelihood of workers and farmers.
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Rally behind farmers and workers
Billy Claasen, chief executive officer of Farm Workers Development Organisation, said it was barbaric that members of the agricultural community could continue being killed.
He was responding to the Vanrhynsdorp farm incident and said the attack needed to be condemned by all stakeholders.
“Agriculture is the economic hub of our region, and the West Coast is also one of the food baskets of the Western Cape and the country.
“We call on the police and courts to do their work properly and also to impose harsher sentences for crimes like this so that these kind of evil and barbaric attacks in the agricultural industry can be stopped,” he said.
Claasen expressed that it is critically important that everyone rally behind the safety of the farmers, community, and farmworkers.
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Criminals cannot get away
“We need to live and work in a safe environment and in harmony with each other. Crime affects us all, and we need to take hands in the fight against crime.
“We need to stand together to make our communities safer and a better place to live in. We need to claim our communities back from the criminals,” Claasen said.
Western Cape minister of agriculture Dr Ivan Meyer said the sector is under attack and it is important safeguard this community which brings dignity to the lives of thousands of families.
“Criminality undermines the growth of our economy and job creation. I am therefore calling on our law enforcement agencies to track down the alleged perpetrators so that they can face the full might of the justice system,” he said.
Meyer said the agricultural sector plays a key role in the job creation and livelihood of so many in the Western Cape.
“In fact, the Matzikama Municipality contributed R5.7 billion in 2021 to the West Coast economy. More than that, agriculture is the leading formal employer on the West Coast with more than 2 300 jobs created by the sector,” he said.
A threat to the economy
Meanwhile Agri Western Cape chief executive officer Jannie Strydom said the killing of farmers needs to stop.
“It is shocking that producers, their employees and families have to live in fear while the country’s food also has to be produced.
“Agricultural producers, who are responsible for the food security of our country, are already grappling with extraordinary challenges, and the security crisis that producers, farmworkers and their families also face is unacceptable,” he said.
Strydom added that the effects of a farm murder is widespread and has long-term consequences on the surrounding communities and economy.
“We call on the government, the police and other relevant role players to effectively implement the rural security plan in order to create an environment where the lives of producers and agri-workers are not threatened every day,” he said.
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