ALTHOUGH poaching and agricultural theft has been an ongoing problem, there has been a spike following the lockdown as hunger and poverty start affecting local communities who are becoming desperate to survive.
The problems being experienced by farmers are, among others, the poaching in farm dams using gill nets, and the theft of livestock, timber, honey, fruit and sugar cane.
A recent survey by the Democratic Alliance (DA) has revealed that 21% of farmers in KZN have experienced an increase in crime during the lockdown period.
Of these, 39% felt their personal safety and security has been compromised during the current lockdown period.
The information was collated during the period 2 to 10 April.
According to the DA, these results show 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.
This needs to be done as a collaborative effort with the Department of Community Safety and the Office of the Premier in KZN.
Member of the Provincial Legislature, Chris Pappas, requests the province to support security initiatives within farming communities through direct and indirect subsidisation and an increased allocation of resources to stock theft units, plus the establishment of a task team in conjunction with the Department of Community Safety to investigate and track all incidents of crime that affect food security, particularly in high risk areas in KZN.
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