Agri Securitas Trustfonds bewillig R1,9 miljoen om landboumisdaad hok te slaan | Agri Securitas Trust Fund disburses R1,9 million to combat agricultural crime

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13 September 2022

Die Agri Securitas Trustfonds se raad van trustees het op 5 September 2022 vergader om aansoeke vir die finansiering van landelike veiligheidsprojekte te oorweeg. Die raad het R1,9 miljoen goedgekeur vir uitbetaling, wat bloot ‘n druppel in die emmer is gegewe die geweldige skaal en koste van misdaad in die landbousektor.

Die fonds het 22 aansoeke vanaf boereverenigings in vyf provinsies ontvang. Fondse is bewillig aan boereverenigings in Noordwes, KwaZulu-Natal, die Oos-Kaap, Mpumalanga en die Vrystaat. Die behoefte bly egter steeds oorweldigend.

In 2018 alleen het die totale koste van landboumisdaad R7,72 miljard oorskry, met die installering van beveiligingstoerusting ter waarde van R1,9 miljard. Die mate waarin die boerderygemeenskap blootgestel is aan geweld en eiendomsverwante misdaad is ‘n geweldige probleem vir die sektor en het ‘n negatiewe impak op voedselsekerheid sowel as landbou-investering.

“Die boerderygemeenskap se veiligheid is ‘n voedselsekerheidskwessie. Die kwesbaarheid van boere- en landelike gemeenskappe is dus nie bloot ‘n boere-aangeleentheid nie maar ook van nasionale belang. Daarom is dit belangrik om by te dra tot boerderygemeenskappe se paraatheid om hulself en hul werkers te beveilig”, sê Cobus van Zyl, voorsitter van die Agri Securitas Trustfonds.

Die Agri Securitas Trustfonds is in 1999 gestig om behulpsaam te wees met die beveiliging van boere en plaaswerkers, in samewerking met plaaslike gemeenskappe en die polisie. Sedert sy ontstaan, het die fonds reeds meer as R16 miljoen uitbetaal danksy skenkings van die private sektor. Hierdie befondsing het ‘n kritieke tekort aan die staat se polisiëringskapasiteit aangevul.

”Meeste van die befondsingsaansoeke wat van boereverenigings ontvang word was vir die installering of uitbreiding van kamerastelsels. Volgens plaaslike gemeenskappe, is hierdie die mees suksesvolle meganisme aangesien dit dien as afskrikmiddel en ook help met die opsporing van verdagtes. Die kamerastelsels dek groot dele van landelike gebiede en bied waardevolle inligting met betrekking tot kriminele ondersoeke,” sê Van Zyl.

“Agri SA is dankbaar vir die befondsing wat die Agri Securitas Trustfonds aan ons boereverenigings beskikbaar gestel het asook vir die donasies van korporatiewe instansies en ander privaatsektor skenkers. Ons doen ‘n beroep op Suid-Afrikaners om voort te gaan om die trustfonds te ondersteun ten einde hierdie gaping te vul. Dit is die donasies wat bydra dat boeregemeenskappe beveilig kan word en voedsel kan produseer sodat ons land se mense kos op die tafel het” sê Christo van der Rheede, Uitvoerende Direkteur van Agri SA.

“Ons rig ook ‘n dringende versoek aan Minister Bheki Cele om die doeltreffende implementering van die Landelike Beveiliging Strategie te bespoedig. Dit is die enigste werklike manier om misdaad in ons boerderygemeenskappe te bekamp, om lewens en besighede te beskerm, en om voedselsekerheid vir toekomstige geslagte Suid-Afrikaners te handhaaf,” aldus van der Rheede

Agri Securitas Trustfonds webblad: https://agrisecuritas.org/ Navrae:

• Kobus Visser, Agri Securitas Trustfonds:
• Christo van der Rheede, Uitvoerende Direkteur van Agri SA:
• Cobus van Zyl, Voorsitter Agri Securitas Trustfonds:

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13 September 2022

On 5 September 2022, the board of trustees of the Agri Securitas Trust Fund met to consider requests for financial support for rural safety projects. The board approved R1,9 million for disbursement, but this is a drop in the ocean given the scale and cost of agricultural crime to the sector.

The Fund received requests from 22 farmer associations in five provinces. Funds were allocated to farmer associations in the Northwest, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and the Free State. Yet the need remains overwhelming.

In 2018 alone, the total cost of agricultural crime exceeded R7,72 billion and necessitated the installation of security equipment to the value of R1,9 billion. The degree to which the farming community is subject to violence and property-related crime poses an enormous problem for the sector and impacts negatively on food security and agricultural investment.

“The farming community’s safety is a food security issue. The vulnerability of farming communities and rural communities is therefore not only a farmers’ issue but a community issue and a national imperative. It is therefore important to support farming communities in their vigilance to safeguard them and their workers,” said Cobus van Zyl, chair of the Agri Securitas Trust Fund.

The Agri Securitas Trust Fund was established in 1999 to assist farming communities to safeguard farmers, workers, and operations by working with local farming communities and the police. Since its inception, the Trust Fund has disbursed more than R 16 million, thanks to donations from the private sector. This funding has filled a critical gap in the State’s policing capacity.

‘’Most of the funding requests from farmer associations were for the installation or expanding of camera systems. These are reported by local communities to be the most successful method for both deterrence and tracking of suspects. These systems cover large parts of the rural areas, and their blanket coverage provides valuable information in the investigation of criminal activities,” said van Zyl.

“Agri SA is grateful to the trust fund for making these contributions to our farmer associations and for the donations of corporate institutions and other private sector donors, and we urge South Africans to continue to contribute to the Trust to fill this vital gap. It is these donations that secure our farming communities and enable them to produce food for the people of our country to have food on the table,” said Christo van der Rheede, Executive Director of Agri SA.

“More importantly, we continue to urge Minister Bheki Cele to fast-track the more effective implementation of the Rural Safety Strategy. This is the only real way to prevent crime in our farming communities, saving both lives and businesses, and ensuring that South Africans continue to enjoy food security for generations to come” says van der Rheede.

Agri Securitas Trust Fund web page: https://agrisecuritas.org/ Enquiries:

• Kobus Visser, Agri Securitas Trust Fund:
• Christo van der Rheede, Executive Director of Agri SA:
• Cobus van Zyl, Chairperson Agri Securitas Trust Fund: