More attacks at farms reported

UNDER SIEGE: 71 OF 88 FARMING TOWNS IN FREE STATE ‘126 farm workers, including security guards, attacked – with 14 killed.’

Free State Agriculture (FSA) says it is concerned at the number of farm attacks and murders across the country. It said agricultural communities were under siege and condemned all brutal criminal acts on farm dwellers and owners.

According to the FSA, from 1 April, 2016 to 31 March, 2021, there had been more than 298 farm attacks, with 37 murders on agricultural land in the province.

FSA safety risk analyst Jane Buys reported more than 143 commercial and emerging farmers were attacked in this period and 16 were killed. The report also revealed 126 workers, including foremen, general workers and security guards were attacked and 14 were killed.

“Free State Agriculture has determined that almost 300 farms were targeted by an attack or murder in the five-year period, which represents almost 4% of the Free State’s farming entities [7 951 according to Stats SA’s agricultural survey in 2018],” she said.

“It can therefore be mentioned that 71 of the 88 towns in the Free State’s agricultural communities have been affected by farm attacks in the past five years.”

In a statement, the FSA said when statistics of the 2020-21 financial year were compared with those of 2019-20, it was clear there was an increase of five murders (41.67%) and an increase of 14 farm attacks (22.95%). The number of farm attacks and murders is the highest in a period of five years in the Free State.

“What is worrying is that the increase took place during the state of confinement during the Covid-19 pandemic where more visibility of ... law enforcement was in place,” Buys added.

The report also revealed of the 73 farm attacks and murders in 2020-21 period, 21 included women and children.

Police spokesman Motantsi Makhele said government officials met farmers last year and a few incidents were reported.

“After that, measures were put in place to address their concerns,” he said.