DA: Farmers must feel safe and protected

LIMPOPO – The Democratic Alliance met with farmers, community members, South African Police Service (SAPS) and agricultural unions in Modimolle yesterday,  following the recent spate of farm attacks and murders in the area.

Since January 2015 there have been 22 farm attacks in Limpopo, and seven farm murders.

A DA delegation consisting of Phumzile Van Damme, , Dianne Kohler Barnard, Annette Steyn, Jacques Smalle, Desiree van der Walt, Langa Bodlani, Kathlego Phaala said they found a community traumatised by these attacks.

According to the DA, the Station Commander at Modimolle Police Station informed them that half his vehicles were sitting at garages, and that he experienced high levels of absenteeism.  While the SAPS Captain said he has sufficient staff, he just doesn’t have the numbers to deal with the problems in the area.

According to SAPS, farm murders have increased by 30% in the country since 2010.

Experts predict that commercial farmer numbers will decline to 15 000 individuals over the next fifteen years, causing significant job losses in the agricultural sector added to which the local production of food will drop dramatically. This severely risks our food security as a country. Farm attacks and murders not only tear families apart, but are a threat to the country’s food security and threaten job-creation in the agricultural sector.

The DA has repeatedly called for a new approach to rural safety that will put the protection of all rural communities at the heart of its approach.

To ensure the safety of all farming communities, the DA said they would:

• Establish a specialised rural safety unit within the SAPS;
• Deploy specialised Rural Reaction Units to clearly identify rural crime “hotspots” on a rotating basis;
• Improve rural crime intelligence gathering; and
• The creation of a SAPS Rural Intelligence Centre that will improve the gathering and analysing of rural crime information and thus better inform crime prevention initiatives.

The DA says it is clear that the lack of rural safety plan is having a massive impact on our rural community. The agricultural sector plays an important role in the South African economy as it provides jobs to a significant number of people.

These are people that feed our nation – farmers, farm workers, staff at commercial farms and emerging farmers all are vital to South Africa’s livelihood and deserve to be protected.

According to DA, farmers, farm workers and the rural community say they feel isolated and unsafe.

It is therefore up to government to ensure that this community is protected.

Every South African should feel safe and protected in our country.

via Democratic Alliance