Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele accepted a memorandum of demand from farmers in Brits on Tuesday. The memorandum requests more police resources to address farm attacks.
Cele, accompanied by the North West Provincial Commissioner Lt Gen Kwena and management of the Brits policing precinct received the memorandum from the Brits Stock Farmers Association. The memorandum calls on Minister Cele for better resources for the police in order to attend to crime and farm murders in the Brits area.
The protestors said they were willing to work with the police to tackle farm murders.
Cele told them that the National Rural Safety Strategy (NRSS) at rural police stations continues to address rural safety as an integrated day-to-day policing initiative by ensuring a multi-disciplinary approach between police and all stakeholders concerned to improve the safety and security of all persons living and working on farms.
The police said between 1 April and June 2023, 14 people were killed on farms.
“The National Rural Safety strategy emphasises the involvement of community structures such as the CPF, working together with the police for better results and sharing of resources, especially as many rural stations are dealing with personnel and resource challenges.”
Cele told farmers to stop employing people who have no documents. “People that we cannot trace. South Africans are traceable because we have fingerprints and we have DNA… So work with us, even if you feel that a person has a skill that you need,” Cele said.