Archive for category: Media Releases – 2019

19 November 2019

The establishment of compartments and controlled checkpoints to prevent the outbreak of animal diseases in the Free State. According to Tommie Esterhuyse, Vice President of Free State Agriculture (FSA), this is some of the proposals that his organisation strongly supports after foot-and-mouth disease broke out again in Limpopo.

He says it would not only protect the province from diseases such as foot-and-mouth, but also help prevent stock theft, especially the transport of livestock to auction lots outside the province. “This will however require that transport permits and the issuing of it, for example where animals move across international and provincial borders, be enforced much more strictly and implemented by the South African Police Service.”

Esterhuyse says FSA and the Free State Red Meat Producers Organisation (RPO) express their serious concerns about the latest outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. It is the second time this year the disease broke out in Limpopo and this has resulted in a ban on all livestock auctions in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the North West by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development on 14 November 2019.

A proposal on the management of foot-and-mouth disease was the establishment of compartments. Esterhuyse says FSA has communicated this to the provincial RPO, who will pass it on to its national body and various animal health forums.

“It is put on the table of the president that if he is serious about investments in the country, these kinds of problems should be addressed as a matter of urgency,” says Esterhuyse. “Government is responsible for disease control and only effective and purposeful action can strengthen agriculture, which forms part of the backbone of the economy and contribute to job opportunities.”

FSA, the Free State RPO and the National Woolgrowers’ Association of SA held a meeting on 7 November 2019 where various aspects, such as disease control and issues of common interest, were discussed. According to Esterhuyse, cooperation between the organisations, which includes roles and responsibilities, was on the agenda. The aim was also to eliminate duplication of tasks.

Esterhuyse says the Free State is regarded in many circles as the bread basket of the country and the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease can lead to producers once again coming off second best. “The ongoing challenges of this nature, together with political uncertainty and the land issue, do not in any way contribute to the creation of favourable circumstances for food production in the agricultural sector. In fact, this has significant negative effects on food security.”

According to him the drought and outbreak of such diseases also contribute to further job losses.

16 October 2019

“The crux of the revised Rural Safety Strategy (RSS) is to have safer agricultural communities, but this can only happen if everyone is involved and has an attitude of cooperation.” This is according to Jakkals le Roux, Chairman of Free State Agriculture’s (FSA) Rural Safety Committee.

The revised RSS places a greater emphasis on cooperation and therefore FSA urges all role players to actively participate in combating crime. Le Roux says everyone highlighted by the strategy needs to work with organized agriculture, the South African Police Service (SAPS), the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and other departments so that a “joint community approach” can be followed.

FSA welcomes the RSS and requests the SAPS to adhere to the specific timelines for its implementation and evaluation. Training workshops, between the SAPS, SANDF, organized agriculture and other role players, must also be held at district level to ensure its implementation.

The revised RSS, which contains a lot of changes, was launched in Makhado on 11 October 2019 by Bheki Cele, Minister of Police, and Gen. Khehla Sitole, National Police Commissioner. This strategy, which previously had four focus areas, is now based on eight pillars.

 

Four additional focus areas

The first of four additional focus areas is to increase community engagement and cooperation of role players to mobilize communities against crime. This includes the creation of privately supported technology aids provided by private or public partnerships.

Secondly, to improve and expand government systems and legislation that negatively impact crime and safety. Furthermore, to implement an analysis process on organized crime threats that should link groups and syndicates involved in rural crime and lastly to monitor the rollout of the RSS quarterly, evaluate it every three years and review it every five years.

 

Monitoring and implementation important

Le Roux believes it is important that the RSS is monitored at all levels of cooperation and this is where timelines are important. “This means that there should be a substantial improvement in capacity, manpower and equipment within a year or two.”

It should also not just be a theoretical document. “Actual implementation must take place, which includes the implementation of short and medium term strategies.”

Greater cooperation at meetings of, for example, the priority committee is important and better relationships must be built between everyone. “There must also be closer contact and liaison with the SAPS at all levels, which includes ground, district, provincial and national level,” says Le Roux.

The revised RSS also stipulates that various other aspects should be addressed according to timelines, specifically by March 2021.

These include working studies to establish rural safety units, expand the capacity of existing stock theft units and crime intelligence should play a greater role in establishing links on organized crime.

The focus of property crimes should be extended to theft of farm implements and products and the illegal hunting with dogs should be addressed.

The SAPS’s capacity, manpower and resources must be prioritized and private security companies and civil rights organizations included. Furthermore, quick response teams and strengthening of border operations are also a priority.

Legislation such as the national Pounds act, which the implementation of has been lagging for years, must also be finalized.

At the Free State Agriculture (FSA) annual congress in Bloemfontein from left are Prof Danie Brand, Director of the Centre for Human Rights at the University of the Free State, Dan Kriek, President of Agri SA, Francois Wilken, President of FSA, and Dr Frans Cronje, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Race Relations. Photo: Frikkie Kapp

8 August 2019
Get involved and join hands to overcome the challenges. This was the plea of Francois Wilken, President of Free State Agriculture (FSA), to farmers and the sector at FSA’s annual congress of 2019.

“If we in agriculture do not realize that we have to stand together, a big surprise awaits us,” he said. “Are we going to sit back and hope someone is going to address problems on our behalf or will we constructively be part of possible solutions?”

Wilken called on farmers to reflect on their role in organized agriculture. The theme of FSA’s congress, which took place on 7 and 8 August 2019 in Bloemfontein, was What is my role as member of Free State Agriculture?

“How do I position myself to survive, move forward on and be a success? What am I going to do?,” Wilken asked. “All day I hear: What are you (FSA) going to do now? What are you saying? But I rarely hear: What should we do now? What can we do now to turn things around?”

He encouraged farmers to seek opportunities, help their communities develop and put pressure on the government to improve service delivery.

 

Challenges

According to Wilken, agriculture’s biggest challenges are property rights, expropriation without compensation (EWC), land reform, safety and the economy.

He believes “virtually all land reform projects by the government have failed” and that farmers, agribusinesses and organizations have achieved several success stories, but these receive little attention.

 

Land debate

Prof Danie Brand, Director of the Centre for Human Rights at the University of the Free State, and Dr Frans Cronje, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Race Relations, were guest speakers at the congress. They addressed the land debate and EWC.

Brand believes the constitution will be amended. “The question is rather how it will be amended,” he said.

According to him, there however still are reasons why one can remain calm about this. Brand said it would still take a long time for any legal change to take place and that a constitutional amendment would not in fact make a change in the legal position of property rights.

Cronje fears that if EWC is not beaten, the country is doomed to a future of failure, poverty and chaos.

According to him, it is possible to prevent it, provided certain steps are followed and strategically worked. He said it is important to get your analysis right and be informed, to organize, to draw lines in the sand and know what you stand for, to actively defend your mandate and to apply pressure in an orderly manner.

Cronje however said no one was going to fight on behalf of farmers. “The only people that will get you out of this, is yourselves. It is your organisation and you determine what happens in it. It is a mirror and a reflection of you.”

The South African Police Service (SAPS) announced at Glen Agricultural College in Bloemfontein that 48 vehicles have been made available to help improve rural safety. From left are Tommie Esterhuyse, Vice President of Free State Agriculture (FSA), Sam Mashinini, Free State MEC for Police, Roads and Transport, lt. General. Moeketsi Sempe, Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS, and Jakkals le Roux, Chairperson of FSA’s Rural Safety Committee. Photo: Free State Agriculture

22 July 2019
Free State Agriculture (FSA) is pleased with the 48 extra vehicles being given to rural safety coordinators at Free State police stations. This is according to Tommie Esterhuyse, Vice President of FSA, after these vehicles were made available by the South African Police Service (SAPS) to help combat crime.

According to him, it is “a historic day for rural safety” and he welcomed the gesture. The vehicles will only be used by the police to address crime in rural and agricultural communities.

On 19 July 2019 at Glen Agricultural College in Bloemfontein Sam Mashinini, Free State MEC for Police, Roads and Transport, said the vehicles will be used to address serious violent crimes and stock theft. According to Esterhuyse, it is a given that more manpower and vehicles are still needed.

Mashinini also stressed that the vehicles should be looked after as if they were the property of police officers. He said farmers should mark their livestock and regularly take a stock count and that the Free State is a province where agricultural communities must be able to do their business in peace.

Lt. General. Moeketsi Sempe, Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS, confirmed that the vehicles were issued as part of phase one of the Rural Safety Strategy (RSS) to address crimes in rural areas, in conjunction with agricultural communities. He also reported that safety coordinators will work flexitime in response to their crime pattern analysis.

Sempe thanked FSA for the good cooperation between the police and the organisation. He also requested farmers to evaluate police service delivery and where problems arise, the line of command or protocol on complaints should be followed. “Farmers should not take the law into their own hands and must comply with all laws,” he said.

According to Esterhuyse Genl. Khehla Sitole, National Commissioner of the SAPS, during talks with Agri SA reported that he sees organised agriculture as a partner in the RSS.

He emphasized a relationship of trust and that, in addition to cooperation and relationships, mutual trust should be worked on. The vehicles should be seen as a tool to build good relationships between farm workers, farmers and the police.