South Africa’s Agri Securitas Trust Fund just approved R1.9 million for rural safety projects across the country. But it’s a drop in an ocean of need for farmer safety, says Agri SA.
According to a press statement released by Agri SA, who initiated the trust fund more than two decades ago, the fund’s board of trustees received requests from 22 farmer associations in five provinces.
Money was allocated to farmer associations in North West, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and the Free State.
“Yet the need remains overwhelming,” the organisation says and adds that, in 2018 alone, the total cost of agricultural crime exceeded R7,72 billion.
Farmers were compelled to install security equipment to the value of R1,9 billion.
“The degree to which the farming community is subject to violence and property-related crime poses an enormous problem for the sector and impacts negatively on food security and agricultural investment,” Agri SA says.
The chairperson of the Agri Securitas Trust Fund, Cobus van Zyl, believes that the farming community’s safety is a food security issue.
“The vulnerability of farming communities and rural communities is therefore not only a farmers’ issue but a community issue and a national imperative,” he says.
“It is therefore important to support farming communities in their vigilance to safeguard them and their workers.”
Camera systems
Since its inception, the Trust Fund has disbursed more than R16 million, thanks to donations from the private sector.
‘’Most of the funding requests from farmer associations were for the installation or expanding of camera systems. These are reported by local communities to be the most successful method for both deterrence and tracking of suspects.
“These systems cover large parts of the rural areas, and their blanket coverage provides valuable information in the investigation of criminal activities,” says Van Zyl.
“Agri SA is grateful to the trust fund for making these contributions to our farmer associations and for the donations of corporate institutions and other private-sector donors,” says Christo van der Rheede, Agri SA executive director.
“We urge South Africans to continue to contribute to the trust to fill this vital gap. It is these donations that secure our farming communities and enable them to produce food for the people of our country to have food on the table.
“More importantly, we continue to urge [police] minister Bheki Cele to fast-track the more effective implementation of the Rural Safety Strategy. This is the only real way to prevent crime in our farming communities, saving both lives and businesses, and ensuring that South Africans continue to enjoy food security for generations to come.”
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