The Democratic Alliance (DA) will ask the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Mandla Mandela, to invite the South African Police Service (SAPS) to the Committee when Parliament reconvenes to give an update on the progress made in terms of farm and rural community crime prevention.

This follows a video circulating on social media alleging that a police officer in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape made use of a police van to steal sheep from the community and transport it over the Ramatshidiso Border Post. The officer has apparently been arrested over this incident.

The full circumstances of the alleged stock theft is still unknown at this stage. The DA does however welcomes the swift arrest of the implicated police officer. We urge the local SAPS to institute a thorough investigation. 

This is not the first time that police officers have been implicated in stock theft. And it is critical that those rogue officials are identified and held to account. 

The DA reiterates our call on the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, to engage the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, to stop blowing hot air and urgently execute rural safety plans. It is high time that the government implement all practical preventative actional plans to combat stock theft and other crimes happening on farms and in rural areas.

We have for years been calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa, to acknowledge the severity of the issue of farm attacks, farm murders and stock theft in the country. These attacks and incidents of theft are often associated  with heinous acts of violence which places the farming community at great risk. 

If these crimes are not addressed, Minister Didiza’s bold plan of the R1 billion support towards the 75 000 small scale farmers may end up being jeopardised by crime syndicates who go unchecked and in some cases the police are part of the problem. Applications for assistance closes on the 22 December 2020 and we urge all small scale farmers to make use of this opportunity. 

 

Issued by The DA