Farmers call for tech to combat cross-border crime

Free State Agriculture (FSA) attended a consultation meeting with border farmers in the Wepener and Boesmanskop/Zastron areas on 29 September 2025 to discuss the rehabilitation of the RSA/Lesotho border road. The farmers unanimously objected to a passable border road.

According to Francois Wilken, president of FSA, farmers have been asking for decades for the border road to be repaired in a way that protects the safety of farmers and farming communities. The reality, however, is that neither the provincial nor national governments have prioritised this request. Ministers of Agriculture, Home Affairs and Public Works have even postponed visits to the border three times, despite pressing safety concerns.

Farmers believe that a passable border road is dangerous, because:

• Criminal groups from Lesotho, who have a lot of time on their hands, have repeatedly demolished fences and roads or blocked them with stones. The SANDF refuses to remove the stones and farmers doubt whether a road will improve patrolling by the army.
• A passable border road will enable syndicates and crime groups to transport stolen livestock and other property across the border more quickly and more frequently. This increases risks and puts the safety of farmers and rural communities at even greater risk.

Wilken further states that farmers are instead requesting that the existing access routes to the border be better maintained for emergencies, and that modern technology be made available to give them an edge against criminals. A reliable cell phone signal is essential for this. Free State Agriculture confirms that, after numerous letters, they have secured a meeting with the Minister of Communications to discuss the ICASA arrangement that currently prevents cell phone companies from transmitting signals across the border. This restriction means that there is no cell phone signal in many places along the country’s borders. FSA supports this request and will actively promote it together with relevant role players.

“The safety of our farmers can no longer be ignored. Solutions do not lie in a drivable border road, but in better equipment and technology that can prevent crime,” says Wilken.