The safety and security of the country’s farmers, farm workers and farm dwellers was brought to the fore in the South African Police Service’s National Rural Safety Summit held on 27 and 28 June in Parys, Free State. Representing the province’s rural and agricultural sector, the KZN Agricultural Union, Kwanalu, addressed key issues raised by its members.
“It is essential that we raise the significant contributions of our rural and agricultural community at top level discussions to ensure that the viewpoints and needs of all interest groups are taken into account,” said Kwanalu CEO, Sandy La Marque.
Important issues affecting KZN’s rural and agricultural safety and security raised included ongoing farm attacks and murders, trespassing and land invasions, service delivery protests and violent strike action, vandalism of essential infrastructure, Transnet pipelines, Eskom infrastructure and roads, illegal hunting with dogs, poor investigation and solving of reported crime by the police, slow and inadequate response by police to violent protest action, trespassing and land invasions affecting agriculture, poor intelligence capabilities in rural areas and cross border crimes committed by criminals from neighbouring countries.
“Kwanalu will continue be a united voice for our members in the rural and agricultural sector and act as a catalyst for essential change on the matter of safety and security,” said La Marque.
For more information, visit www.kwanalu.co.za or call 033 342 9393.
