Free State farm attacks – rural communities must defend themselves

Issued by Dr Roy Jankielsohn MPL – Leader of the Official Opposition in the Free State Legislature
28 Jun 2020 in Press Statements

Read Afrikaans version here

Government is failing to adhere to its side of the social contract towards our rural communities. The basis of the social contract is that the government will protect its citizens from harm, and in return the citizens will accept that government. When governments fail to protect their citizens, they have a right and responsibility to protect themselves.

 The failure of the government in South Africa to protect our rural communities in the Free State from criminals gives these communities the right to arm and defend themselves and their property from criminals. While the number of farm attacks in South Africa this month already exceed 32, the Free State has experienced four attacks since 15 June 2020. These were between Reitz and Kransfontein on 15 June, Tweespruit on 21 June, Petrusburg on 26 June and the latest between Zastron and Rouxville on 27 June. During some of these attacks property was stolen, in two attacks the victims were seriously injured and assaulted and in two attacks the victims managed to defend themselves leaving three attackers dead.

Besides these farm attacks, there has been a sharp increase in stock theft, theft of crops, cable and transformer theft, theft of equipment, vehicle theft, and cross border criminal activity from Lesotho. The South African Police Services (SAPS) in the Free State remain under-resourced to deal with this scourge and the border with Lesotho remains porous even though the South African Defense Force (SANDF) are deployed there. The situation was exacerbated by the ridiculous Covid-19 lockdown regulations that disallowed farm patrols and neighbourhood watches from assisting the SAPS with visible policing on the ground.

Farmers and their employees remain vulnerable and should equip themselves with the necessary resources to defend themselves from criminals. Government is failing these isolated communities and individuals, and this gives them a legitimate right to take active steps to fill this vacuum and defend themselves and their property from harm. If a person enters a fenced area or a home without invitation with malicious intent they must accept that the legitimate dwellers on these properties will defend themselves.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) launched an updated, comprehensive national rural safety strategy to compliment the SAPS Rural Safety Policy this week. The DA in the Free State Legislature will be submitting questions to the MEC for Police, Roads and Transport, Mr Sam Mashinini, next week to determine the extent of the roll-out of the SAPS Rural Safety Policy in the Free State. An ad-hoc committee has also been established in the Free State Legislature to deal with the DA’s private members Bill, the Community Policing Bill, that aims to support the implementation of the SAPS policy.