Despite the recent attacks on Henk Zaal and an elderly couple in Elandskraal, the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) says attacks and murders on farms in the province during 2018, were the lowest in 16 years.

Kwanalu made this claim in its annual report, which includes information and statistics collected by the Kwanalu Security Desk, and also verified by relevant sources.

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“The safety and security of our members is of utmost importance to us and a strategic focus area of the organisation. As such, we have a duty to empower farmers with knowledge and fact-based statistics with our annual analysis of farm attacks and murders, to ensure our members and associated security stakeholders are fully and correctly informed about the nature and circumstances of crimes [taking] place on farms in the province, so they are even better prepared,” said CEO of Kwanalu, Sandy La Marque.

The data and statistics collected by Kwanalu between January 1 and December 31 of 2018, was collected in commercial farming areas, and includes those living on these types of farms.

The statistics presented in the 2018 report, indicate one murder took place in KZN, involving three attackers. They  gained access at night, by digging underneath an electric fence and breaking a door. No arrests have been made yet.

Kwanalu also reports 24 farm attacks in KZN in 2018, with the majority taking place on Tuesdays and Thursday. 12 of these attacks took place in the farmhouse, 7 in the farm yard and 5 on the farm in general.

Weapons used in these 24 attacks are broken down as follows: 14 firearms, 4 knives/axes/bush knives and 6 ‘other’. Kwanalu suggests the focus of many of these attacks is cash from both wages and stock sales.

For the complete KWANALU report, see this week’s Courier

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