Farm attacks in South Africa have seen an increase of 60 per cent in the past 10 years, according to TLU SA.
These statistics were announced on 11 July during the organisation’s presentation on farm attacks and murders in Silverton.
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Louis Meintjes, President TLU SA said, “We are extremely concerned about the rise in and brutality of farm attacks in South Africa in the past decade”.
He added that according to TLU SA’s official Incidents Report that is being kept since 1990, 1 125 farm attacks were reported between 1990 and 1999. Between 2000 and 2009, an increase of 22 per cent – 1 407 attacks – was reported, and in the past nine years, from 2010 to 2019, a rise of 60 per cent – 2 616 attacks – were reported.
During the corresponding time, farm murders increased by 22 per cent from 637 (1990 to 1999) to 799 between 2000 and 2009. In the following nine years until 2019 there have been 586 farm murders.
“These statistics are shocking. But for TLU SA these are not just statistics,” said Major-General Chris van Zyl, deputy general manager of TLU SA.
“It means that 2 022 members of our farming community have been murdered since 1990, and that 5 148 families and farm workers have feared for their lives during the farm attacks. But it is still not important enough for the government and President Cyril Ramaphosa to condemn these attacks on farmers. This year the president already had various opportunities to give farm attacks and murders the required attention. The reasonable person can accept that he and the ANC government see these crimes as inferior and approve it.”
Meintjies continued by saying that TLU SA is aware that crime across the country is out of control, with 56 murders being committed every day.
According to Dr Johan Burger of the Institute for Security Studies, the past six years saw an increase of 17 per cent in murders. More than 20 000 people have been murdered during 2017/ 18.
In light of these statistics, TLU SA recommended that the following points receive attention during the next conversation with the National Commissioner of Police during August:
• An agriculture-friendly reservist system
• Local integration of available resources
• Reconfirmation of farm attacks and murders as priority crimes
• Farm safety instead of farm attacks
The farming community should further focus on using technology, communication and information, and the contingency plans TLU SA has already implemented.
