Landelikeveiligheid trek voordeel uit Agri Securitas Trustfonds | Rural safety benefits from Agri Securitas Trust Fund

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14 Augustus 2023

Die raad van die Agri Securitas Trustfonds is opgewonde om die uitbetaling van R1,9 miljoen aan 29 boereverenigings en provinsiale affiliasies aan te kondig om landelike veiligheidsprojekte regoor die land te help finansier. Boerderygemmenskappe in die Wes-, Oos-, en Noord-Kaap, Mpumalanga, Vrystaat, Limpopo en Gauteng het by die toekennings gebaat.

“Die Trustfonds het kragte saam gesnoer met boerderygemeenskappe deur plaaslike boereverenigings om hulle veiliger te maak. Die veiligheid van landelike gemeenskappe is een van die sentrale pilare ’ om vooruitstrewende landelike ekonomieë te ontwikkel. Veiliger gemeenskappe is die enigste manier om volhoubare voedselstelsels te handhaaf, voedselsekerheid te bevorder en te bou aan ‘n vooruitstrewend Suid-Africa,” sê Cobus van Zyl, voorsitter van Agri Securitas Trustfonds.

Sommige mense en gemeenskappe het al hul frustrasie uitgespreek oor wat hulle beskou as onvoldoende optrede deur die polisie om plaasaanvalle en landelike misdaad te hanteer. Boere en plaaswerkers is veral kwesbaar vir misdaad, met die boerderygemeenskap wat dikwels aan gewelddadige plaasaanvalle onderwerp word. Alle pogings moet dus aangewend word om hulle te help om die vlaag van misdaad te bekamp wat hul daaglikse bedrywighede beïnvloed en hul lewens bedreig.

Deur na die plaaslike boerderygemeenskappe se behoeftes te luister, verskaf die Trustfonds bykomende befondsing vir landelike veiligheidsprojekte om misdaad te bekamp en uit te roei, wat die grootste uitdaging is wat hierdie gemeenskappe in die gesig staar en om hulle veilig te maak.

Die meeste van die befondsingsversoeke van boereverenigings was vir die installering of uitbreiding van kamerastelsels. Volgens plaaslike gemeenskappe is dit die doeltreffendste wyse om misdadigers af te skrik en verdagtes op te spoor. Hierdie stelsels dek groot dele van die landelike gebiede en hul reikwydte verskaf waardevolle inligting aan die polisie in hul ondersoeke na kriminele aktiwiteite. Die kamerastelsels baat nie net die boerderygemeenskap nie, maar ook die hele landelike gemeenskap en besighede in plaaslike dorpe.

“Agri SA is dankbaar teenoor die Trustfonds, wat hierdie bydraes tot boereverenigings gemaak het, asook vir die skenkings van korporatiewe instellings en ander donateurs in die private sektor. Ons doen ’n beroep op Suid-Afrikaners om steeds tot die Trust by te dra om hierdie belangrike leemte te vul. Dit is hierdie skenkings wat ons boerderygemeenskappe beveilig en hulle in staat stel om voedsel vir die mense van ons land te produseer,” sê Christo van der Rheede, hoof- uitvoerende beampte van Agri SA.

Tans blyk dit dat daar ’n verswakking in die politieke wil is om landelike veiligheid doeltreffender aan te pak deur middel van die Landelike Beveiligingstrategie. Daar is te veel op die spel om bloot die strategie te laat vaar. Buiten die toenemende private belegging in veiligheidsmaatreëls deur die boerderygemeenskap, insluitend die ondersteuning wat die Trustfonds bied, kan ons net hoop dat minister Cele binnekort ’n dringendheid sal toon om die besluite van die vorige jaar se landelike veiligheidsberaad aan te kondig, wat nodig is om Suid-Afrika se voedselproduserende gemeenskappe veilig te hou.

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

Medianavrae:

Kobus Visser

Agri Securitas Trustfonds

Christo van der Rheede

Hoof Uitvoerende Beampte, Agri SA

Cobus van Zyl

Voorsitter, Agri Securitas Trustfonds

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14 August 2023

The board of the Agri Securitas trust fund is pleased to announce the disbursement of R1,9 million to 29 farmer associations and provincial affiliations to help fund rural safety projects around the country.

“The Trust Fund joins forces with farming communities through local farmer associations to make them safer. The safety of rural communities is one of the central pillars in creating prosperous rural economies. Safer communities are the only way to maintain sustainable food systems, to advance food security and build a prosperous South Africa” said Cobus van Zyl, Chair, Agri Securitas trust fund.

Some people and communities have expressed frustration with what they perceive as insufficient action by the police to address farm attacks and rural crime. Farmers and farm workers are especially vulnerable to crime, with the farming community often subject to violent farm attacks. Every effort must therefore be made to assist them in combating the scourge of crime impacting their daily operations and threatening their lives.

By listening to the local farming communities’ needs, the Trust Fund provides additional funding for rural safety projects to take on and eradicate crime, the biggest challenge facing these communities and to make rural areas safe again.

Most of the funding requests from farmer associations were for the installation or expansion of camera systems. According to local communities, these are the most effective method for both deterring crimes and tracking suspects. These systems cover large parts of the rural areas and their blanket coverage provides valuable information to the police in the investigation of criminal activities. These camera systems do not only benefit farming communities, but also the entire rural community and businesses located in towns.

“Agri SA is grateful to the Trust Fund for making these contributions to farmer associations, and for the donations of corporate institutions and other private sector donors. 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,” said Christo van der Rheede, Chief Executive Officer at Agri SA.

As things stand, it appears that there has been a deterioration in the political will to address rural safety more effectively through the Rural Safety Strategy. But there is too much at stake to simply abandon the strategy. Beyond the ever-increasing private investment into security measures by the farming community including the support that the trust fund provides, we can only hope that Minister Cele will soon show a sense of urgency in announcing the outcome of the previous year’s Rural Safety Summit, which is what is required to keep South Africa’s food producing communities safe.

Agri Securitas trust fund web page: https://agrisecuritas.org/

Media Enquiries:

Kobus Visser

Agri Securitas Trust Fund

Christo van der Rheede

Executive Director of Agri SA

Cobus van Zyl

Chairperson Agri Securitas Trust Fund