Picture: David Ritchie/African News Agency (ANA) Archives Picture: David Ritchie/African News Agency (ANA) Archives
Cape Town - The country's agricultural sector continues to be threatened by a volatile security situation, said the Institute for Race Relations (IRR).
IRR project manager Terence Corrigan said it is imperative that the government takes this seriously and acts appropriately.
He said Agri-SA's recently released report on crimes affecting the farming industry is "a timely call to appreciate the scale of the criminal threat to the farming sector and to take appropriate action".
The report is based on a survey of agriculturalists affiliated to Agri-SA’s provincial bodies - showed that 70% of farms had experienced some form of crime in 2017, Corrigan said.
He cited stock theft as the most common crime, followed by theft of infrastructure and equipment. He said it was concerning that about 25% of farms had experienced robbery - "a crime that is frequently associated with violence".
"The survey also found that a third of respondents claimed an increase in crime over the past three years.
"Agri-SA’s survey is an invaluable attempt to quantify the perilous situation under which farming households exist. This applies to all farming communities, farmers, and their employees, of every race. Too often, voices both in the state and in society - not least the President - have tried to play this down. It deserves to be acknowledged for the very real and debilitating problem it is."
Corrigan said some of the crimes went unreported.
"The results here suggest a sense of alienation and frustration on the part of many farmers - reporting crime would be a pointless exercise, there is nothing that the police could do, and so on."
He said the costs of crime in the agricultural sector amounted to R7.7bn.
"The IRR has long argued that farm dwellers face an outsized threat," says Corrigan. "This is backed up by solid analysis. Official data shows that between 2012/13 and 2017/18 there were some 353 farm murders. Agri-SA’s study adds additional weight to this. But less remarked on is what that means for South Africa and the farming economy.
"Concerns about personal safety and the security of one’s assets will drive people away from the industry, and dissuade others from entering it. The impact, particularly on smaller operators, will be corrosive over time."