Stop the War on our Rural Communities

There have been an unprecedented number of attacks on people who live in our rural communities; 552 farm attacks and 57 farm murders have taken place in South Africa in 2019.

Each farmer, farmworker (and their loved ones) deserve to be protected from harm.

These attacks are carefully planned, and without exception include violence and frequently torture of the most horrific kind.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) Rural Safety Strategy has been a dismal failure. Police stations in the most hard-hit rural areas are understaffed and under-resourced. SAPS is increasingly unable to protect our rural communities.

We urgently need the following interventions:

• Rural Safety Units must be reintroduced and properly resourced;
• Innovation in new technology such as surveillance drones, ShotSpotter and geofencing must be explored as a matter of urgency;
• SAPS must declare rural crime a priority, and keep separate and accurate statistics so that the success or failure of interventions can be measured;
• The Reservist Programme in farm areas must be properly implemented with a concerted effort to recruit and train framers, farmworkers and farm dwellers;
• Increased access to health, social support and education must be ensured for farmworkers and dwellers. This is a fundamental human rights issue.

Sign our petition calling on the President to intervene and act now to stop the war on our rural communities.