Farming sector gets R1.9m security boost
The fight against crime in the agricultural sector has received a R1.9 million cash injection.
The money comes from the Agri Securitas Trust Fund and is aimed at increasing safety for farms, farmers, and farm workers.
It follows numerous requests to Agri SA from the farming communities around the country for assistance in the fight against crime in rural areas.
The fund's Kobus Visser says the amount is a drop in the ocean when considering that agricultural crimes exceeded R7,7 billion in 2018 and necessitated the installation of security-related equipment to the tune of R1,9 billion.
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He says KZN was among the provinces where 22 farmers associations had reached out for help.
"Overall, the type of crimes that have a negative effect on farmers, that also includes the KwaZulu-Natal region.
"It’s live-stock infrastructure destruction, the set tools and equipment and illegal hunting, then also ordinary robbery. So those are the crimes affecting the farming community mostly at this stage."
