‘Released stock thieves back in business’

IF THE price of meat and other food spikes at the supermarket, thank the decision to release convicted stock thieves because of Covid-19.

“We believe some of the convicted stock thieves released from prisons due to Covid-19 are already engaging in theft and have been rearrested,” Sandy la Marque, chief executive of the KZN Agriculture Union (Kwanalu) said.

She warned that extreme levels of stock and crop theft would make it unviable for farmers, who would stop producing, which would lead to shortages and push up prices.

“Producers are spending approximately R1.9 billion annually to protect themselves against crime,” she said. “According to the National Stock Theft Forum, losses are in excess of R1.4 billion a year. These can’t continue unabated.”

Diane Kohler-Barnard, who chairs the DA’s Rural Safety Workstream, quantified the costs related to agricultural crime last year as about R10bn “and a further economic output loss to the South African economy of R20 billion”.

“The DA is of the belief that these attacks are a national emergency and must be addressed as a matter of urgency,” she said.

“There has been a significant upsurge in the number of reported incidents of farm attacks since the start of the lockdown. These attacks have been particularly heinous in nature, with brutal torture being commonplace.”

Kohler-Barnard said the DA would call on the police to recategorise rural attacks as priority crimes.

Kwanalu has called on its members to increase vigilance and to work with the SAPS and private security forces.

Spokespeople for both national and provincial agriculture departments did not respond to requests for comment.

Police said that KZN continued to implement the Rural Safety Strategy.

“Part of the strategy involves the blue and white light patrols which is an indication of the police working together with established community policing initiatives in the rural areas,” said national spokesperson Colonel Brenda Muridili.