With the pending SONA on Thursday 7 February 2019, Front National SA has addressed the issues of farm attacks, food security and agricultural safety in a letter that was delivered to the office of the President of South Africa on the morning of 4 February 2019. The letter not only address these issues that are affecting the country, its people and the economy, but also puts forward reasonable proposals to address the crisis. The SONA address would be the ideal opportunity for the president to set the record straight with regard expropriation without compensation, the crashing economy and lack of international investment because of these issues.
To:
Mr Cyril Ramaphosa
President of the Republic of South Africa
Dear President Ramaphosa,
FARMS ATTACKS, FOOD SECURITY AND AGRICULTURAL SAFETY
You might recall that there was quite some discord from various corners of our South African society last year when you stated in a speech in the United States before the UN that there are no farm attacks in South Africa. Irrespective of the context of that statement, and despite evidence to the contrary as provided by a number of parties, organizations and individuals, we have not yet heard of any retraction or clarification on the statement.
In our opinion the State of the Nation Address is the ideal platform and opportunity for you to address the issues of farm attacks and murders, food security and agricultural safety. This, obviously do not exclude the criminal attacks on people in residential areas as well.
Front National proposes that you include the following resolutions in your State of the Nation address, as it might positively impact on the point of view taken by the South African taxpayer, the world and international investors on our struggling economy as a whole:
• A disproportionate number of attacks on farms are committed by illegal immigrants crossing the border from Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Government must implement stricter measures in border control with all neighbouring countries. Our natural resources such as water and food are already limited.
It is time to impose harsher fines and punitive measures for anybody harbouring, employing and aiding illegal immigrants.
• Government must implement strategies to ensure food security by:
Putting an immediate end to the policy of expropriation of land without compensation in order to give farmers peace of mind and to ensure and encourage food production without undue influence and pressure
• Re-implement subsidies and agricultural assistance to the farmer in times of need through parastatal institutions such as the Land Bank, without unfair discrimination which benefits only certain groups in our population
• Subsidizing the farming community to assist them in implementing security measures on the farms, even only if in the form of tax relief or tax benefits for expenditure towards securing the people living and working on farms against attacks.
• There are only about 35000 commercial farmers left. Government should launch a conscious drive, through the Ministries of Agriculture and Labour, to enable landowners to populate unpopulated farms as bone fide farmers so as to re-populate rural areas, return agricultural productivity to the land and create employment. Sensible Land Bank credit and loans should be made accessible to the farmers.
• Put an immediate stop to the unconstitutional racial discrimination against white farmers and prospective white farmers when it comes to the allocation of available subsidies, land claims and agricultural loans.
• Re-establish, through partnerships of Government on national and local level, Department of Higher Education and Agricultural Organisations, agricultural training colleges with the aim of producing farmers with the ability and drive to farm productively
• Establish and promote security measures for farming communities in the form of setting up co-operatives, subsidized by Government, in security and production.
• Recognize, encourage and strengthen the farmer’s right of private ownership of his farm with, as a matter of national importance to encourage production, strict measures against trespassing, squatting and harassment on his private property.
We look forward to your response regarding these matters and hope that you will indeed address them in the SONA this week.
Yours sincerely
Daniel Lötter
Front National SA
Read the original article on Front Nasionaal SA
South Africa Today – South Africa News
