Mediaverklaring / Media Release  

GEWELD TEEN PLAASGEMEENSKAPPE MOET STOP

Suid-Afrika kan nie bekostig dat die geweldskultuur in die land plaasgemeenskappe verder teister nie. Plaasaanvalle en die wreedaardigheid daarvan moet deur alle Suid-Afrikaners ten sterkste veroordeel word.

“Ons dink aan duisende mede Suid-Afrikaners wat die afgelope jaar hulle lewens weens geweldsmisdade verloor het, 52 moorde per dag! Baie boere en plaaswerkers tel onder diegene wat met hulle lewens die hoogste prys betaal het”, sê Dan Kriek, president van Agri SA.

34 000 Boere hanteer tans droogtes, natuurrampe, beleidsonsekerheid en moet ook aanslae op hulle lewens afweer, terwyl hulle kos produseer vir 55 miljoen Suid-Afrikaners. Een boer voed 1600 mense elke dag. Al die faktore kan oor die langer termyn voedseltekorte tot gevolg hê en daarmee saam stabiliteit in die land benadeel.  

Die tyd het lank reeds aangebreek dat die publiek en regering moet kennis neem van die wreedheid van plaasaanvalle, asook die aanslag op lede van die boerderygemeenskap en daarom ondersteun Agri SA die bewusmakingsveldtog Maandag, 30 Oktober 2017 dat mede Suid-Afrikaners as blyk van meelewing swart klere sal dra. 

“Boere is kwesbaar en daarom is paraatheid op huishoudelike vlak en gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid van belang om die geweldsaanslag af te weer. Een van die pilare vir gemeenskapsdeelname aan landelike veiligheid, is die implementering van die Landelike Beveiligingstrategie. Om pro-aktief te wees beteken dat die individu en gemeenskap op enige voorval bedag en gereed moet wees en dit kan slegs bereik word, wanneer boere en plaaswerkers binne georganiseerde landboustrukture betrokke is”, sê Kriek.

Binne die Agri SA groep, speel die Agri Securitas Trustfonds ‘n belangrike rol om plaasgemeenskappe teen plaasaanvalle te help beveilig. In die praktyk voorsien die Trustfonds toerusting soos kommunikasienetwerke, kamera-stelsels, misdaadbekampingstoerusting en vele meer, aan die gemeenskappe. Die fonds is ook betrokke om traumaberading te verskaf, waar gemeenskappe dit benodig.

Die Trustfonds is maar een van die instrumente wat gebruik word om plaasgemeenskappe te beveilig en Agri SA sal voortgaan met sy beïnvloedingsrol om binne die regeringsopset oplossings vir plaasaanvalle te soek.  Agri SA doen ‘n beroep op die Suid-Afrikaanse sakegemeenskap om die inisiatiewe van Agri SA te ondersteun en betrokke te raak by die groep.

Ten slotte sê Kriek, “ek is deeglik bewus van die emosionele spanning waaronder plaasgemeenskappe verkeer en dat Agri SA en sy provinsiale organisasies sal aanhou soek na oplossings om die gewelddadige aanslag teen ons boeregemeenskappe te stop”.

Uitgereik deur Agri SA, Direktoraat:  Korporatiewe Skakeling

Navrae

Mnr Dan Kriek, President Agri SA, 082 944 0566

Mnr Omri van Zyl, Uitvoerende Direkteur, Agri SA, 012-643 3400 of 082 417 5724

VIOLENCE AGAINST FARM COMMUNITIES MUST STOP

South Africa cannot afford any further violence against farming communities. Farm attacks and the brutality thereof must be strongly condemned by all South Africans.

“We think of the thousands of fellow South Africans who have lost their lives during the past year as a result of violent crime, 52 murders a day! Many farmers and farm workers count among those who have paid the highest price,” said Agri SA President Dan Kriek.

34 000 Farmers are suffering the effects of drought, natural disasters and policy uncertainty, while also trying to protect their lives and produce food for 55 million South Africans. One farmer feeds 1 600 people a day. All these factors can in time give rise to food shortages, accompanied by instability in the country.

It has long been time for the public and the government to take note of the brutality of farm attacks, as well as the onslaught aimed at members of the farming community. For this reason, Agri SA supports the awareness campaign that kicks off on Monday, 30 October 2017, with South Africans expressing their support by wearing black.

“Farmers are vulnerable, and it is therefore important to be prepared at household level and, through community involvement, to curb this violent onslaught. One of the pillars for community participation in rural safety is the implementation of the Rural Safety Strategy. Becoming more proactive means that the individual and community must be ready and prepared for any event and this is only possible when farmers and farm workers are involved in the structures of organised agriculture,” said Kriek.

Within the Agri SA group, the Agri Securitas Trust Fund plays an important role in safeguarding farmers. In practice, the Trust Fund makes equipment such as communication networks, camera systems, crime-fighting equipment, etc. available to communities. This fund is also involved in providing trauma counselling where communities require it.

The Trust Fund is but one of the instruments used to protect farm communities and Agri SA will continue to play a lobbying role within government context to seek solutions in this regard. Agri SA also calls on the South African business community to support these initiatives and to become involved in the Agri SA group.

In closing, Kriek said: “I am fully aware of the emotional stress experienced within farming communities and that Agri SA and its provincial organisations will continue to seek solutions to stop the violent onslaught waged against our farming communities.”

Issued by Agri SA, Directorate:  Corporate Liaison

Enquiries

Mr Dan Kriek, President Agri SA, 082 944 0566

Mr Omri van Zyl, Executive Director, Agri SA, 012-643 3400 or 082 417 5724

The post Agri SA Media Release: Violence against farm communities must stop appeared first on Agri Limpopo.

Day Zero was initially expected to arrive at 22 April but was shortly afterwards revised to 12 April. It was later pushed back to 16 April, then 11 May, 4 June, 9 July and has now been cancelled indefinitely. The City had prepared extensive contingency plans around the mobilisation of resources to supply citizens with 25 litres of potable water per person per day to be collected at certain designated locations throughout the City.

The City’s use of the Day Zero scenario had previously been questioned by various water-sector role players, including the agricultural sector. In many cases farmers have since 12 January 2018 had to make do with almost none of their allocated water because of Nationally-imposed and strictly-enforced water restrictions. This has lead of enormous losses and hardship for the agricultural community, including job losses for seasonal farm labourers.

While it clearly had the effect of focussing ordinary Capetonians’ attention on the severity of the prevailing drought, the use of the Day Zero scenario may also inadvertently have created its own unforeseen water management crisis. Panicked persons (who could afford to do so) began buying and stockpiling both raw and treated water in anticipation of Day Zero realising. This disruption of normal consumption patterns created enormous difficulties for City water planners as well as the Department of Water and Sanitation.

Although the City previously acknowledged that its estimations of its water supply were revised because of agriculture’s reduced consumption, it has failed to acknowledge agriculture’s concerted efforts in this regard or the disastrous effects of the drought on the agricultural sector. According to Agri SA’s Head of Natural Resources, Janse Rabie, the use (and now withdrawal) of the Day Zero scenario creates the impression the City may have cried wolf too soon and that the agricultural sector now has to pay for that action.

“While we are happy that Day Zero now appears to have been averted, people should realise that the current drought is by no means over. It remains a National Disaster which, particularly for the agricultural sector in the Western Cape, becomes worse with each passing day. We implore all spheres of government to maintain their focus on the severity of this drought and to step up the critical drought relief measures for the agricultural sector” said Rabie

While the imminent threat of Day Zero appears to have been averted, the prevailing drought in the Province and the City continues. Both the National Water Restrictions of 12 January 2018 as well as the City’s Level 6b Water Restrictions remain in place and citizens are implored to adhere to the requirement of, amongst other things, limiting their personal water consumption to no more than 50 litres per person per day.

Issued by Agri SA, Directorate:  Corporate Liaison

Enquiries

Mr Janse Rabie, Head of Natural Resources Agri SA, 076 451 9601

The post Agri SA Media Release: Day Zero may be avoided in Cape Town appeared first on Agri Limpopo.

This week the land debate that relates to expropriation without compensation was a focal point of the Grain SA congress.  In true democratic style the floor was opened to accommodate a variety of views on the topic.  “It was good to understand the hearts and minds of people and we welcomed a very constructive debate” Dan Kriek President of Agri SA mentioned. 

From a farming perspective it is essential to protect the constitution and property rights.  Grain SA managed to reach consensus on very important principles with the fundamentals of sustainability and food security being top of mind.  “We will continue with this debate and will continue to understand and make constructive contributions as the example was set in Grain SA’s congress” Kriek remarked.     

The final outcome was that Grain SA supported land reform in a sustainable manner to maintain economic growth and food security. The different groupings agreed that the dialog on land reform will continue whilst the current Constitution is upheld.

“In the end this is not just about farming and agriculture but the founding principles in our democracy that is at stake, we take these conversations very serious and we fully support Grain SA in their endeavors” Kriek said.

Issued by Agri SA, Directorate: Corporate Liaison

Enquiries

Mr Dan Kriek, President Agri SA, 082 944 0566

Mr Omri van Zyl, Executive Director, Agri SA, 012-643 3400 or 082 417 5724

The post Agri SA Media Release: The land debate continues on a positive note at the Grain SA congress appeared first on Agri Limpopo.

On 3 May 2018 Agri SA announced that that it had formally launched a dedicated Water Desk that will focus on the need to ensure equitable access to water for farmers across South Africa. This initiative is in response to a host of external challenges facing agricultural water users, including severe drought, climate change and under-maintained infrastructure. The situation is all the more urgent given several policy proposals that may simultaneously increase the cost of water while reducing the availability to agricultural users.

The Agri SA Water Desk will, amongst other things, focus on water policy and legislative proposals such as the draft National Water and Sanitation Master Plan and the National Water Resource Strategy. The current amendments to the National Water Act, for example, will determine the cost of water for agricultural users, which is why it is necessary to engage with government and other key stakeholders from the start to work towards a fair outcome. The Agri SA Water Desk will also give inputs to the Water Research Commission (WRC) on research priorities and will act as a forum for top water experts to share their insights in a meaningful way.

The Agri SA Water Desk will be led by Janse Rabie, an environmental lawyer and Head of Agri SA’s Natural Resources Centre of Excellence and Gregory Smith, a water scientist. “The Agri SA Water Desk will be a one-stop-shop for Agri SA members, where they can get up to date information and advice on all things water-related,” said Janse Rabie. “Given the complexity of water rights and the fast-changing policy environment, we believe that a dedicated Water Desk is the best way to enable agricultural water users to stay abreast of all legal developments which will have an impact on the way they farm and do business.”

“Agri SA is at the forefront of legislative and policy development regarding the water sector in South Africa. Agri SA strives to support government in this fundamental area through collaboration with key stakeholders and timely and well-researched inputs to policy development,” said Dan Kriek, President of Agri SA.

Agri SA invites its members, and interested parties, to contact the Agri SA Water Desk to find out how they can get involved.

Queries

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Agri SA wants to make the following clear: The Mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni cannot simply announce expropriation without compensation (EWC) of property without following the correct legal process. This applies to all spheres of government; municipal, provincial and national.

“To suggest that property can summarily be expropriated without any compensation is to seriously undermine South Africa’s entire legal framework,” said Omri van Zyl, Executive Director of Agri SA. “Politicians do not get to make legal pronouncements, our Courts do.”

 Any expropriation can only be done for a legitimate purpose in terms of specific legislation that grants a power of expropriation, and the constitution requires just and equitable compensation and entrenches the right to contest any dispute around expropriation in court.

The courts retain the authority to decide what the level of equitable compensation must be, in accordance with relevant legislation and the constitution.

For the sake of legal clarity – land can be expropriated for housing purposes and that the compensation amount be less than the market value, provided that that is just and equitable. But, the court will have to be satisfied that compensation is just and equitable having considered all relevant factors. 

“It is necessary to emphasize that our Courts are the final arbiter of what compensation should be awarded for expropriated property,” said Annelize Crosby, Head of the Land Centre of Excellence at Agri SA. “A zero-compensation amount is only likely in very exceptional circumstances. It is in the national interest that our courts develop guidelines and give certainty regarding what is just and equitable compensation.”

Agri SA wishes to reiterate that it will get involved in test cases on this issue.  Agri SA is also getting more information on the particular properties through its affiliation in Gauteng and will respond accordingly.

Enquiries:

Omri van Zyl

Agri SA, Executive Director

C: 082 417 5724

Annelize Crosby

Agri SA, Head: Centre of Excellence – Land

C: 082 388 0017

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