Violent crime, theft plague South African farming

South African farmers are facing a multi-billion rand crisis as criminals plunder their land, homes and stock.

Farms, smallholdings and plots in the Rustenburg area of North West Province are under siege, according to home owners, with gangs of criminals terrorise the community. In May mining electrical foreman Willie Potgieter was killed and businessman Hugo Wenhold seriously injured in two separate attacks on their smallholdings.

The latest bulletin of the University of Pretoria's Institute of Strategic Studies, Food Security in Southern Africa, revealed that South African farmers lose billions through crime. It reported that since 1991 more than 2,000 people had been killed in about 32,000 farm attacks.

The Transvaal Agricultural Union's Chris van Zyl said, "This means that out of every 15 attacks on farms, smallholdings and plots, at least one person will be killed. "In the case of a land owner being murdered, estimations indicate that as much as eight years could pass before the land is productively utilised again," he said. "The levels of theft - of produce, livestock or cash crops as well as tools, implements and chemicals - are reason for serious concern," Van Zyl said. He said the provinces worst hit by theft were Gauteng, North West and Mpumalanga.

National African Farmers' Union chief executive Molefe Mokoene said the union was very worried about the high levels of crime against farmers, who are especially vulnerable because they live in rural areas. He said small-time farmers in particular suffered from stock theft. "Many of these farmers do not have insurance, making it difficult for them to recover."

IOL