North West MEC for Public Safety, Howard Yawa at the conclusion of an intervention meeting with Swartruggens farmers on Thursday afternoon assured farmers that strengthening sector policing within farming communities will ensure that farmers go about their business without having to look over their shoulders for criminals.
The meeting held with the high powered delegation representing police, crime prevention structures from all levelsin the province resolved to establish a task team to oversee investigations of complaints of farmers regarding livestock theft, effective implementation of sector policing and community mobilisation.
MEC Yawa said that the formation of the task team which has to report back to him in fifteen days time will ensure transparency in the investigations of complaints. The task team is inclusive of community structures.
Ninety-nine cases of stock theft were reported by farmers from Swartuggens, Groot Maricho, Koster, Derby, Zeerust, Madikwe, Rustenburg, Phokeng and Mogwase in the last 14 months.
Provincial Deputy Police Commissioner, Major General William Mpembe assured farmers that police are willing to accommodate the “Plaaswag” /farm watch system on condition that it’s not a vigilante group, is willing to work within the parameters of the law and that farm patrollers are always accompanied by either police or police reservists. He emphasised that resources mobilised will be deployed based on sector policing threat analysis priorities.
A Memorandum of Understanding will need to be signed with individual community members on utilisation of resources that they will mobilise to fight crime.
Provincial Chairperson of the Provincial Community Policing Board, Leonard Brown appealed to farmers to support the festive crime preventions operations.
Riaan Van der Westhuizen on behalf of the Transvaal Agriculture Union-Swartruggens expressed gratitude to the MEC and the police for their commitment and expressed the willingness of the farmers to work with them to reclaim farms from criminals.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Tel: 018 381 9171
Cell: 083 629 1987
E-mail: LKgwele@nwpg.gov.za
