/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

AfriForum made an urgent submission to the National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, in terms of Section 17(d) of the South African Police Services Act, today to classify farm attacks as a national priority crime. AfriForum maintains that the factual realities of farm attacks necessitate the seriousness and urgency of prioritisation and therefore require the specialised investigative skills of the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) in terms of its mandate.

In the letter that Jacques Broodryk, AfriForum’s Chief Spokesperson for Community Safety, sent to Masemola today, the legal justification for prioritising farm attacks, as set out in the South African Police Services Act, is explained in detail. It is argued that farm attacks, due to the organised nature and national impact of these crimes, require specialised skills, coordination, dedicated investigative capacity and police resources. The impact of farm attacks on the stability of the country and the public’s confidence in the government’s ability to protect human life and property is presented as further justification for AfriForum’s application for the urgent prioritisation of farm attacks.

As part of the argument for prioritising farm attacks, AfriForum recommends the establishment of a dedicated Hawks task team to facilitate the development of a strategy for rural crime as well as farm-related crime. This task team should also coordinate cooperation with the South African Police Service (SAPS) rural safety units, farming associations and private security agencies, ensure the proper recording, tracking and analysis of farm attacks and, where applicable, investigate political incitement in relation to farm attacks.

AfriForum’s submission to Masemola emphasises that farm attacks are not simply an isolated type of crime but, in fact, have far-reaching implications for the immediate rural community as well as South Africa as a whole. According to AfriForum, farm attacks are characterised by extreme levels of violence; targeted attacks on vulnerable and isolated communities; and contain elements of political incitement that openly encourage violence against farmers. In addition, farm attacks have a significant impact on the local economy, have serious implications for food security and have a significant psychological and social destabilising effect, leading to the depopulation of rural areas, job losses and ultimately economic decline.

This week, during their first National Policing Summit, the SAPS has the ideal opportunity to address this pressing issue, as Broodryk points out. “Farm attacks have been ignored by politicians and leaders in the SAPS for years, despite the SAPS having previously stated that farm attacks require a unique response. Now is the time to implement this response,” he emphasises.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa, the same person who previously publicly argued that there is no such thing as farm attacks, said in his opening address at the summit yesterday that citizens of the country in both urban and rural areas should be able to say that they feel safe at any given time. Prioritising farm attacks is the only way to help achieve this objective for the rural community. It is time to stop politicking and take concrete steps in the interest of South Africa and its people,” concludes Broodryk.

Issued by AfriForum