DA shares our strong stance on rural crime with Hartbeesfontein farming community
16 January 2019
DA North West Premier Candidate Joe McGluwa MP and Federal Chairperson Athol Trollip engaged with the farmers from the Hartbeesfontein area.
We had the opportunity to engage and speak on pressing concerns affecting the daily lives of farmers, farmworkers and rural communities at large.
Crime in rural/platteland areas including farm attacks, stock theft and property theft are clearly having a negative socio-economic impact on rural communities. Families and communities are being ripped apart by violent crime, while the agri-business model is becoming increasingly unviable, threatening further unemployment, poverty and hunger.
The farmer’s union shared an unfortunate incident where a young farmer was robbed of more than R500 000 of agricultural production material and product earmarked for planting crops and to sustain his business and livelihood. The threat of closure of this agri-business looms large and many families face unemployment as a result of this incident.
The DA finds it totally unacceptable that rural communities have been left in a state of hopelessness with regard to rural safety and escalating crime due to the apparent lack of political will by the President, the minister and the entire failing ANC cabinet. It is real a tragedy that people living in far-flung rural areas have to live in a state of constant fear. Fear of crime. Fear of business failure. Fear of unemployment.
It has become abundantly clear that the safety of rural communities is not a priority for the uncaring ANC government. The DA has taken a strong stand against crimes of this nature and has constantly called for a specialised rural safety and crime fighting strategy to be implemented.
The DA in government will immediately reintroduce specialised crime fighting units to successfully prevent and investigate specific crime such as rural farm attacks, murder, rape, robbery, stock theft, child abuse, drug and human trafficking. We need a specialised strategy to combat these specific crimes.
This DA will establish an honest and a professional police service and make adequate resources available to turn the tide against crime and lawlessness. Visible policing and crime prevention remains the most effective way to safeguard citizens. We will also prioritize and encourage an effective and efficient police reservist corps.
In 2019, a vote for the DA will be a vote for safety and security, for jobs and prosperity, for quality basic service delivery and an accountable, corruption free, government. Together, farmers and farmworkers, city dwellers and rural communities, young and old, now is the time to come together to build one South Africa for All. It is time to give the DA a chance at the steering wheel of our country.
Issued by Joe McGluwa, DA North West Premier Candidate, 16 January 2019
