According to Transvaal Agricultural Union’s (TAUSA) figures the number of murders on farms in South Africa for the first ten months of 2013 was at 55, including another 39 farmers, 9 family members and 6 workers. Of course many other serious and violent crimes are also committed against the farming community as a whole.
What is also worrying is that the number of persons killed, injured or otherwise victimised during farm attacks, may be much higher than the figures reported by TAUSA. The union acknowledges that it does not have the capacity or capability to monitor the situation as extensively as the police have done in the past. This is because TAUSA is not informed of attacks on smallholdings, where it is estimated that up to 40% of attacks classified as “farm attacks” occur.
The potential under-reporting of incidents by TAUSA is illustrated by a comparison between the figures reported by them and those of the police in their last report in this regard in 2007. For example, in the 2006/07 financial year, police reported 794 attacks and 86 murders across the country, while TAUSA reported “only” 94 attacks and 60 murders.
Considering the extent and seriousness of the crimes committed against those working and living on farms, it is obvious that the farming community as a whole is a particularly vulnerable group. The relative remoteness of farms, the absence of close neighbours, such as in urban settings, and the consequent slow response times of the police and private security companies, allows criminals more time and space to commit their crimes than is normally the case in urban areas. It is primarily for these reasons that the farming community is in need of a strategy that is focused on their particular security needs.
Source – Africa Check
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