Lesotho food crisis spurs theft surge in Free State farms

Farmers in the Free State are spending half a million rands on security because border protection is a shambles and it’s worse since a food crisis began in Lesotho.

The farmers are calling for government protection as the demand for food is intensifying.

Lesotho Prime Minister Sam Matekane has declared a national food security disaster, saying it could last more than six months.

Basotho nationals stole from nearby farm

Ficksburg farmer Friedl von Maltitz said his farm had not yet been affected by the famine, although Basotho nationals were believed to have stolen from a nearby farm.

He said in the Ficksburg area alone, farmers were spending over half a million rands on high tech cameras, monitoring systems and security guards.

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“The cameras track suspicious movements or vehicles. The police also use them to track vehicles because the technology has number plate recognition.”

Von Maltitz has cattle, other livestock and crops.

Thieves move to next town with less security

He said although the cameras had helped to an extent, “the crime doesn’t stop because the thieves simply move to the next town with less security”.

He added that crop theft was now more organised.

“They come at night and steal maize or stuff that is harvested in a 30-ton truck. Sometimes seeds, fertiliser, herbicides – because those things are expensive.”

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The border follows the Caledon River, which rises in the Drakensberg mountains and flows to the Free State.

“In winter, the water dries up almost completely, so there is no physical boundary.

“The fence has not been replaced in years and the government said they do not have money to replace it.”

“We’ve been hearing that Lesotho had bad crops because of the same drought we’ve had, but that coupled with their unemployment rate, which is really high, I can understand that they steal for survival because they are desperate” said Von Maltitz.

He fears that the humanitarian aid available will not be enough for Lesotho because of corruption.

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“In South Africa. we are exporting maize because we have a surplus, but our concern is always does it get to the people on the ground?”

Most common crimes committed by Basotho nationals

A research study from Free State Agriculture released this month found that the most common crimes committed by Basotho nationals in towns in the province include “livestock theft, farm attacks such as robberies and murders”.

There have been nearly 500 farm attacks over the past nine years.

“Fences are being cut consistently and continuously and arson was in the past week reported on farms situated in the Boesmanskop area.

“There were several incidents of Basotho coming at night to set farmers fields on fire.”

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Dr Jane Buys, Free State Agriculture’s safety and risk analyst, said cattle from Lesotho grazing on communal land in SA was most likely in areas around the border and mines.

“These activities contribute to a way of making money to buy food to send home, but have a major impact on especially small and emerging South African farmers who try to start farming on the communal lands, as well as on the overall criminality in the countryside, thus hindering our own food security.” said Buys.