Stock and game theft has far-reaching effects for many farmers in South Africa

Farmers have lost faith in law enforcement and are not reporting all crimes

- Annelie Coleman.

The latest crime figures recently released by the South African Police Service (SAPS) shows a disturbing increase in agriculture-related crime rates. The report, covering the period between July and September this year, revealed several concerning trends in crimes against farmers and agricultural communities across the country, according to a statement by TLU SA.

SAPS revealed that 68 murders occurred on agriculture land, farms, estates or smallholdings from July to September. These statistics aligned with the figures reported by TLU SA.

The province with the highest agriculture murder rate was the Western Cape, with 24 cases reported. According to the SAPS, cattle theft fell 5,5%, but it still rose concerns for farmers, with quarter of the 2023/24 financial year.

However, these figures may present a distorted picture. Many people have lost confidence in the police’s ability to solve cases and, hence, do not report them to authorities.