Agricultural union ‘cautiously optimistic’ about rural safety command centres

Concerted efforts have been made towards formalising the establishment of national and local rural safety command centres throughout the country. 

A recent meeting held by police, AgriSA, AfriForum and the Transvaal Agricultural Union of South Africa (TLU SA) addressed serious issues plaguing rural and farming communities. 

It was agreed that community policing must be customised to be more equipped to handle crimes in rural areas, through community-base mounted units, the Rural Reserve Police Service, “traditional policing” and reservists. 

However, more than anything, South Africa’s agricultural community yearns for a trusting police service, which has dwindled fast in recent years, said TLU SA general manager Bennie van Zyl. 

“Police must get their house in order,” Van Zyl emphasised, saying that although there were plenty of police officers who take pride in honouring their pledge to protect communities, those taking advantage of their positions have knocked the stuffing out of vulnerable community members. 

“In South Africa, police should be the greatest ally for the public, but right now, they’re our greatest enemy. That’s when people take the law into their own hands.”

Van Zyl said pressure must be put on police to initiate what TLU SA has been trying to shed light on in earnest for at least eight years. 

Despite arming farmers with knowledge, including educating them about early warning signs that could lead to attacks, patrols, and their demeanour in handling the attacks, these efforts amount to nothing unless police play their part, Van Zyl continued. 

This was reiterated by TLU SA chairperson Bertus van der Westhuizen, who explained that despite interventions by communities, community policing forums and private security companies, all actions taken in dealing with farm attacks and murders must be done within the law. 

In addition, resources are lacking. Hopefully, following the outcomes of the meeting held by police and other stakeholders, the use of helicopters, drones and police personnel and resources will soon be used in curbing the attacks. 

Van der Westhuizen added it was integral that police dispatch more crime intelligence on the ground, with specialists able to follow tracks and collect evidence. 

“We’ve heard too many promises. And with farm attacks not being a priority crime anymore makes things so much worse; we can’t do anything without the state.”

When asked what he thought of the rural command centres, Van der Westhuizen only responded: “It’s essentially that this works. We’re cautiously optimistic.

“A lot needs to happen to mend the trust between the public and police. At the moment, police are not public-friendly.”

Although the command centres are a small ray of hope for the agricultural community, Van der Westhuizen revealed that in his opinion, complaints offices that deal with following cases involving farm attacks must be prioritised, and the offices made more people-friendly, with staff able to communicate to victims in all languages. 

“We should privatise complaints offices and set them free from police. That way, follow ups can be made, and files won’t disappear.” 

This, he lamented, may be the only way to mitigate the catastrophic impact of farm attacks and murders, by bringing suspects to book, and collecting intelligence by having people employed that focus on these crimes. 

Van Zyl said trust between communities and police is essential, because ultimately, the people who suffer most are the poor. 

But he said this trust should be extended and focussed on in light of South Africa’s credit rating downgrade before the pandemic, and applied to investments as well, in order to grow the economy. 

“There’s no way we can turn our situation into growth. How do we build up a country when no wants to invest in it? Safety and crime is a symptom of the cause.”

TLU SA lauded national police commissioner, General Khehla Sitole’s determination in pooling resources, both with the SAPS and rural communities, to tackle farm attacks, as well as rural safety, stock theft and cross-border crime. 

“The implementation of stabilisation intervention in hotspot areas is critical to ensuring an effective proactive approach,” Sitole said during his meeting with stakeholders. 

The committee tasked with implemented the country’s Rural Safety Strategy aim to convene on a quarterly basis, to monitor the progress of the strategy’s implementation, as well as decisions taken at previous meetings. 

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