Dear Editor
The Freedom Front Plus yesterday showed just how far it will go to remain politically relevant, even if it means voting against the most important rural safety reforms ever adopted by Parliament.
Despite not attending a single meeting of the joint Portfolio Committees on Police and Agriculture during the months-long development of this report, and showing zero interest in its work until yesterday, the FF Plus joined the EFF and MK Party in voting against a landmark joint report on farm attacks and rural crime.
Crucially, the report was nonetheless adopted by Parliament.
This report contains historic, practical recommendations that will directly benefit rural communities, including farmers, farm workers, and rural dwellers of all races. It represents the first time that Parliament has formally acknowledged the reality and severity of farm attacks, stock theft, and rural violence in a multi-party committee report.
It is a fundamental step in the right direction. While much more still needs to be done to make our rural communities truly safe, the adoption of this report is an excellent start.
And yet, in a move driven purely by political opportunism, the FF Plus rejected the very reforms their voters desperately need, including:
- A specialised Rural Safety Unit within SAPS, formally established and resourced;
- A national audit of rural policing capacity, including vehicles, personnel, and operational readiness;
- Better coordination between SAPS and community safety structures like farm watches and farm guards;
- Stronger intelligence-sharing, cross-border crime cooperation, and action against syndicated stock theft;
- An urgent fix to the broken prosecution chain for rural crimes, including cooperation with the NPA;
- Outreach to vulnerable farmers, including small-scale producers without access to private security;
- A requirement for SAPS to disaggregate rural crime statistics for improved oversight and response.
These are not ideological proposals. They are practical, hard-won resolutions that emerged from evidence-based engagement and consultation with stakeholders across the rural safety spectrum. By voting against them, the FF Plus has effectively voted against rural safety.
In a desperate attempt to distort the report’s contents, the FF Plus has fixated on a single recommendation calling for Parliamentary oversight to ensure the protection of all rural residents, including farm workers, from any form of abuse or intimidation.
This is not “blaming farmers” – it is basic human rights oversight and a call for balanced and fair protection for all. Twisting this into a political weapon is both dishonest and deeply irresponsible.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that our farmers have absolutely nothing to hide and that, by no means, is the abuse of farm workers a norm in South Africa. The overwhelming majority of farmers are law-abiding citizens who provide jobs, food security, and community support under incredibly difficult conditions.
The DA is proud to have championed this report and its recommendations. We will not allow political grandstanding to derail the fight against farm murders, stock theft, and rural crime. Every life in our rural areas matters – and that includes the lives of those working the land, whether as farmers or farm workers.
The DA will ensure that the report’s recommendations are implemented and that no party’s political games stand in the way of making our rural communities safer.
Regards
Willie Aucamp MP
DA National Spokesperson and DA Agriculture Spokesperson