Sir
A survey by the Democratic Alliance (DA) has revealed that 21% of farmers in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) have experienced an increase in crime during the lockdown period.
This while 39% claim they feel their personal safety and security has been compromised during the current lockdown period.
The random survey, conducted among 45 commercial and small-scale farmers across the province, showed that crime (including theft of tools / machinery, theft of crops such as maize and vegetables, as well as stock theft) has increased.
The information was collated during the period of April 2 to 10.
The DA is extremely concerned by these results. Given the increasing desperation being felt by so many people in the province, it is highly likely that the numbers will have increased by now, as growing hunger and loss of income sees people resorting to desperate means to survive, notwithstanding that there are also criminals who will use the lockdown to their own advantage.
It is clear from these results that KZN’s Agriculture MEC, Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi, and her department need to take a more proactive approach and lead the fight in prioritising farm safety. With escalating incidents of looting and theft, it is imperative that a plan be put in place to ensure that food production and lives are protected.
This needs to be done as a collaborative effort with the Department of Community Safety and the Office of the Premier in KZN.
It is for this reason that the DA has written to MEC Sithole-Moloi, as well as the provincial MEC for Community Safety and the Premier, to request that the following four steps be urgently considered in an effort to ensure continued food security and the protection of food production lines in the province:
– Support for security initiatives within in farming communities through direct and indirect subsidisation;
– Increased allocation of resources to stock theft units;
– Smart deployment of neighbourhood watches, farm watches and Community Policing Forums; and
– The establishment of a task team in conjunction with the Department of Community Safety in order to investigate and track all incidents of crime that affect food security, particularly in high-risk areas in KZN.
The DA sincerely hopes that the MEC, her Community Safety counterpart and the Premier will acknowledge and implement our suggestions in the spirit of collaboration, as expressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Chris Pappas, MPL (DA KZN spokesperson on Agriculture & Rural Development)
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