Share

Over R500m worth of stock stolen - AgriSA

Johannesburg - About R516m worth of animals have been stolen on farms so far this year, AgriSA said on Tuesday.

Kobus Breytenbach, chairperson of AgriSA's rural safety committee, was speaking at the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in Johannesburg.

He said robbery was the main motivation for farm attacks.

Breytenbach said hate speech with strong racial undertones directed at farmers was one of the factors which contributed to farm attacks.

He said farmers were too often depicted as racists which was not true and unfair.

Breytenbach praised government's rural safety plan, describing it as a well-constructed strategy.

Rural development chief director Vuyiswa Nxasana also addressed the hearing.

She told the SAHRC that the department was concerned with the culture of land rights for the 2.7 million people who lived on farms in the country.

She said the department wanted to develop a policy around land rights and its problems.

"We don't always have the skills or capacity to tackle the issues of safety and rights of farm dwellers.

"We are struggling to monitor illegal evictions because we don't have enough presence on the farms."

She said law enforcement agencies needed to work with the department, especially in matters like illegal evictions.

She said many courts failed to convict people who had illegally evicted people off farms.

Landowners had the right to safety and needed to feel that their rights were also being respected, she said.

She said she had been working in the rural development department since 1997 and that ensuring the public knew the legislation when it came to their land rights was still difficult.

Most conflicts were sorted through the alternative dispute resolution functions, rather than through the judicial system, Nxasana said.

The department wanted to establish a land rights management facility to facilitate disputes with independent mediators.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
42% - 397 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
58% - 558 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent-ruolie
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE