Special task team to probe KZN farm attacks

Special task team to probe KZN farm attacks
2016
Amil Umraw, The Witness


Pietermaritzburg - The South African Police Service’s Provincial Task Team has been assigned to investigate all farm-related incidents, especially murders.

Five farmers have been slain and 15 others attacked in the province between January 1 and May 1 — a worrying figure that has not dropped since last year.

“Police management has prioritised policing in rural communities as they are more vulnerable to attacks by criminals. Police visibility has been increased in rural areas — Visible Policing members are deployed on a 24-hour basis. Whilst we urge farmers to beef up the security within their premises and take extra precautions, it is very important they be active in the police forums and not only attend meetings when they are victims of crime,” said police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane.

He said all crime on farms in the province was “monitored by our rural safety forum”. “All farm murders are given priority and are investigated by the Provincial Task Team. In most of the cases suspects have been arrested and they are in court for prosecution.”

KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) security desk chairperson Koos Marais said the highest rate of attacks on commercial farmers in the province is in the Kwadakuza area near Stanger, with Camperdown taking second place. Marais said the problem is widespread and criminal incidents of this nature are not opportunistic — they are planned attacks by criminals who familiarise themselves with the operations on the farm.

“One should never underestimate the intimidation of farm workers by these criminals. This is, in most cases, how criminals gain the information about where the safe and firearms are kept and when the farmer has made a large sale and has cash on hand,” Marais said. “The figures … may not be increasing, but it is worrying that this issue still exists.”

Marais said the union, with the police, have established a Rural Protection Plan where union members meet with provincial police management on a monthly basis to discuss safety measures on farms. “Across the province, farming associations have also established close ties with police leadership at cluster and station levels within their area,” Marais said.

However, the problem is still faced on the ground.

“A problem still exists with the lack of visible policing in rural areas and the time it takes for the police to respond to an incident. We do understand there are sometimes great distances between police stations and farms,” Marais said.

In an e-mail to The Witness last week, KZN Department of Community Safety and Liaision spokesperson Sipho Khumalo confirmed police in farming areas have “special” security plans and arrangements with communities to ensure they are protected and, at times, their safety prioritised.

“The department has special arrangements with some farm associations that have been encouraged to work with the local communities and community based organisations such as the KwaZulu-Natal Community Crime Prevention Association (KZNCCPA),” Khumalo said. “Indications are these partnerships have improved security in farming communities and have assisted in the recovery of stolen stock,” said Khumalo.

Read more on: pietermaritzburg | kwazulu-natal | farm attacks

ANC in KZN calls for state intervention to halt ward councillor murders.Twelve ANC ward councillors have been killed in KZN

ANC in KZN calls for state intervention to halt ward councillor murders

Twelve ANC ward councillors have been killed in KZN in the past two months.



Clement Manyathela | about 2 hours ago
20/07/2016 (EWN)


JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal is calling on the Minister of Police Nkosinathi Nhleko and Minister of State Security David Mahlobo to step in to bring stability to the province.

In the latest killing on Monday, ward councillor Bongani Skhosana was shot and killed while transporting children to school; bringing the number of ANC leaders killed in the past two months to 12.

The KwaZulu-Natal ANC wants the provincial Premier Willies Mchunu to institute a commission of inquiry into political killings in the province and also wants the security cluster to be involved.

KZN ANC spokesperson Mdumiseni Ntuli said: “We can’t allow a situation where KwaZulu-Natal descends to the state it was in before 1994.”
Ntuli says the work by the commission and security cluster ministers will run concurrent with the ANC’s investigations into whether or not the latest killings are linked to divisions in the provincial party.



We track the political violence hot spots.

(Edited by Winnie Theletsane)

ANC ‘involved’ in most political violence

No Corruption No Fear No Favour..........



Hlengiwe Nhlabathi and S’thembile Cele

President Jacob Zuma with the ANC's NEC. Picture: Lucky Nxumalo

A survey on political violence has pinpointed the ANC as being involved in most of the 100 political attacks tracked since 2013.

KwaZulu-Natal remains the battleground where many of these violent scenes are playing out.

This is according to the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) public violence monitor.

The institute, along with the manager for the crime and justice information hub, Lizette Lancaster, will this week release a comprehensive survey on election-related violence.

The data the survey is based on was captured from January 2013 to last month.

Figures shared with City Press this week show that KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 44 attacks that led to the killing of 48 people.

ANC national executive committee member and head of elections Nomvula Mokonyane had indicated in recent weeks that the situation in KwaZulu-Natal was concerning.

Police Minister Nathi Nhleko had established a task team to look into the cause of the violence, but has since remained mum on any progress made by the team.

The province has been a political battleground since the early 90s, when the ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party were the protagonists.

But now, the killings are happening among comrades turned enemies, with positions being the bone of contention.

In April, four men were shot execution-style at a hostel in KwaMashu, while ANC councillor Zodwa Sibiya was murdered at notorious Glebelands Hostel in Umlazi, south of Durban. Both incidents were believed to be politically motivated.

This week, speaking at the ANC’s countdown to victory event held in Johannesburg, President Jacob Zuma repeated the sentiment that political infighting was simply democracy at work. He added that “families fight and the ANC is a big family”.

Meanwhile, the ISS has placed Gauteng – where 18 attacks have happened to date, resulting in six deaths – at number two.

This is followed by the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, the Western Cape, Mpumalanga, North West and the Northern Cape.

The latest figures come during a tumultuous election period for the ANC as it had to deal with members revolting against the party’s councillor nominations process.

A leaked report from the department of state security indicated concern that the violence could compromise this year’s elections.

CITY PRESS

Jacob Zuma and the whole ANC are running scared!

That's the reason why they have resorted to crime and violence.

ZUMA HAS OVERSTAYED HIS WELCOME IN SOUTH AFRICAN POLITICS!