Farm watches take charge of rural safety

With rural crime on the rise and police resources stretched thin, farm watches across South Africa are stepping up to protect farming communities. These volunteer-led safety networks are preventing millions in losses, deterring criminal activity and helping police solve major crimes, proving that when farmers unite, the benefits ripple far beyond the farm gate.

- By Lindi Botha

Rural safety has far-reaching implications for the entire country. When farmers face theft and violence, profit margins shrink, families abandon the countryside, and food production suffers, ultimately weakening rural economies.

With police services under strain and farm-related crimes often deprioritised, farm watches have become vital in protecting farmers and their communities. Across South Africa, well-organised rural safety networks are delivering tangible results, reducing crime and restoring peace of mind in the countryside.

"If we don't patrol the area, no-one else will. Police are thin on the ground," says Uys van der Westhuijzen, chairperson of the Centre of Excellence: Rural Safety at Agri SA.

He believes that farm watches play a crucial role in deterring crime. "There is always more criminal activity where there are no active patrols," he says. Over the past year, Malmesbury Veiligheid, of which he is a member, has prevented an estimated R1 million in potential losses from livestock theft, either by intercepting attempted thefts or recovering stolen animals.

In the Eastern Cape, Coert Jordaan, chairperson of rural safety at Agri Eastern Cape (Agri EC), has seen similar results from the use of technology.

"Crime decreases in areas where security cameras monitor the roads. Our system has helped recover stolen livestock and assisted police in investigations into cash-in-transit heists and kidnappings. It's a very successful system, but expensive to run. It wouldn't be in place without the support of farmers."

SECURING THE COUNTRYSIDE

Jason Kümm, Agri SA's rural safety officer, says that initiatives that have had the biggest impact on securing the countryside have been the cameras that agriculture has funded and that farmers are managing.