Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
To say we are a farming country would be an understatement.
From the average suburban South African toting a bountiful garden to a plot of mielies growing on a smallholding in the middle of know where—our country is filled with people raised in and around farming.
Therefore, it would come as no surprise to learn that South Africa currently holds 32 000 commercial farmers. This, according to AfriForum‘s Manager for Campaigns, Jacques Broodryk, who alongside Southern Africa Agriculture Initiative (SAAI) CEO Francois Rossouw, spoke with Newcastillian – Online News on the subject.
Moreover, Rossouw explains there is an estimated 2 million smallholders, of which only 100 00 are registered.
But the challenges keep racking up for the average family farm. The impact of these challenges has resulted in thousands of these farms shutting down their operations over the past two decades. “We have lost around 30 000 since 2000 and 90 000 since 1985,” affirms Rossouw.
Looking at what these figures translate to and SAAI’s forecasts for farming over the next two years, Rossouw stresses that smaller farmers face tremendous struggle.
“Big farmers grow bigger and small farmers drop out. It’s a global phenomenon. SAAI’s mission is to keep smaller and medium-sized family farmers on their land by maintaining their profitability.”
However, when scaling up to the commercial farms in the country and how their futures look, AfriForum’s Broodryk adds, “Looking at current trends, such as government interference in the agriculture sector, minimum wage requirements, crime, uncertainty about expropriation of property without compensation and the general decline of the South African economy, amidst rising debt levels, the chances are very good that the number of commercial farmers will decrease over the next two years. This needs to be prevented.”
A significant motivator behind farms closing, apart from the above, would be farm attacks. These horrific acts against humanity being forced into people’s lives due to political issues have shocked the world.
To think that in a country inflicted with poverty and significant economic pressure on each of us, farmers would be cared for. This is especially when considering their vital role in our continued survival as South Africans.
Nevertheless, and in line with the above, On Thursday, 3 March 2022, AfriForum released a comprehensive report on farm attacks and farm murders in South Africa.
The report provides an overview of the characteristics of farm murders over the past six years (from 2016 to 2021). During this period, 364 farm murders were verified.
In its report, AfriForum emphasised the poor arrest and conviction rate of offenders involved in farm murders. Jointly, AfriForum investigated and assessed the arrest of suspects and the conviction of offenders with the help of an open-source media analysis.
“During farm murders, an average of 47% of known attackers were arrested, but only 33% of the arrested offenders were found guilty. It is really shocking and shows how the criminal justice system lets victims of farm attacks down,” said Ernst Roets, AfriForum’s Head of Policy and Action.
The report also found that there is not a single year in which torture did not take place and that, on average, 15% of the victims of farm murders were tortured.
In 2020, 24% of the murder victims were tortured. According to Johan Nortjé, a researcher at AfriForum, this trend is extremely worrying and needs urgent attention. “It shows that farm attacks are not just an ordinary crime and must be prioritised.”
The report also highlights the following:
- Most documented farm murders occurred in Gauteng and the least in the Northern Cape.
- More than 50% of the murders took place on farms, not on smallholdings.
- The average age of victims is 57, and most murder victims were male.
- Although most murders were committed between 18:00 and 20:59, they take place at any time of the day.
- Shooting incidents were the leading cause of death in 52% of the homicide victims whose cause of death is known.
“In light of the number of murders and the torture of victims on farms, it is necessary for farmers to start securing themselves. AfriForum strives to make farmers and their families more resilient to farm attacks and will continue to drive projects, actions and campaigns to make our farmers safer and support them where we can,” Roets notes.
To read the full report, click here.
Lastly, just what is the Government doing or have they done anything to ensure food security in South Africa by uplifting the industry?
According to Broodryk, the Government has certainly not improved the agricultural sector when considering the abovementioned concerns.
Additionally, Rossouw stresses, “No! The ANC has failed to create a policy environment which is conducive to agricultural development and growth.”
With a better understanding of the sector, what are your thoughts?
Share your views in the comment section below.
RELATED NEWS
