South Africa

Farmers find the going tough but say worse to come

September 20, 2004 Edition 1

Ingrid Oellermann

Kwazulu-Natal's farmers feel under threat - from criminals, the government's plan to phase out the commando system by 2009, and new gun laws that will curb farmers' "firepower".

Spokesmen for the police and the army say farmers have nothing to worry about, and that a plan is in place to maintain law and order, even after the commando units are withdrawn.

At the annual congress of the KZN Agricultural Union in Pietermaritzburg, some farmers said recently promulgated gun laws would strip them of their ability to defend themselves against attacks on their farms.

It was suggested that out of 12 500 recent firearm licence applications - for self-defence reasons - just 572 had been approved. This, along with the decision to do away with the commando units, was seen as a threat to rural security.

Lisa Robertson of the Umgungundlovu Agricultural District Council, in a speech to the congress, said farmers had always tried to protect themselves, but safety and security was a "basic right" and a responsibility of the state.

"We need to voice this and make our concerns known more vociferously," she said.

The SAPS in her district was ineffective and "bad policing and blatant neglect of duty" had become the order of the day.

Several farmers said they felt the same way and were also worried about the overloaded judicial system.

Sam Mkwanazi, a spokesman for Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota, said there were constitutional reasons for phasing out the commandos.

Mandate

"The long and the short of it is that, in terms of the constitution, fighting crime falls within the mandate of the SA Police Services ... the SANDF is not trained to do police work."

He confirmed that the government intended to replace the commandos with more police.

John Pearce, the district co-ordinator for the Himeville/ Underberg Community Watch, said the local commandos underpinned security, and that crime levels had stabilised since 1995 because of co-operation between them, the police and the local community.

When the SANDF border patrols along the Lesotho border had been withdrawn in April 2002, for one year, stock theft had increased to 1 247 head of cattle from 430.

"We are very unhappy about the proposed phasing out of the commandos. It's a drastic step. Who is going to look after the community? There's no doubt that rural communities will be on their own," he said.

Pearce said commandos not only helped to combat crime but assisted in all emergency situations. They also provided support to the police.

He said replacing the commandos with policemen created several difficulties, such as recruitment and accommodation. Also, commando members knew their territory - knowledge that would not be replaced easily.

National SAPS spokeswoman Sally de Beer said top police and defence force officials were represented on a steering committee responsible for implementing the decision to phase out the commandos and "phase in" the SAPS as a replacement.

"This is a six-year plan, taking us to March 2009, so it will be a very slow process ensuring that the SAPS is ready to take over and that no vacuum is created and that there is absolutely no breakdown in security."

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