The participants came from AfriForum’s neighbourhood watches in Amanzimtoti, Durban, Vryheid, and Margate. These dedicated volunteers completed intensive training designed to prepare them to respond rapidly and effectively to high-risk incidents within their communities, AfriForum said in a statement.

Proto team training covers essential operational skills, including tactical firearms handling, advanced first aid and bleeding control, scene security, and coordinated response techniques. The course ensures that participants can operate safely and efficiently under pressure, complementing South African Police Service (SAPS) and emergency services in community-based safety operations.

This latest training session brings the total number of trained proto team members in AfriForum’s national network to over 370.

In addition to the proto training courses, AfriForum continues to offer basic neighbourhood watch training, empowering members with foundational safety knowledge on topics such as legal frameworks, communication, and coordination. The organisation currently supports 177 safety structures nationwide, powered by nearly 11,000 active volunteers.

“KwaZulu-Natal has seen its fair share of emergencies and violent crime incidents, and the need for well-trained community responders is more critical than ever,” said Jacques Broodryk, AfriForum’s Chief Spokesperson for Community Safety. “These 15 new members have demonstrated exceptional commitment and courage. They now join a national network of volunteers ready to protect and serve their communities when seconds count.

“Our proto-training initiative continues to grow from strength to strength,” Broodryk added. “Each new group of trainees not only gains vital lifesaving skills but also strengthens the spirit of self-reliance and cooperation that lies at the heart of community safety.”

“As South Africa’s crime crisis deepens, AfriForum remains committed to equipping communities with the skills and resources they need to take ownership of their safety,” the organisation said.

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The tracking course, which AfriForum has established in partnership with a world-renowned tracking expert, aims to fill the gap of effective tracking skills in the rural areas. This is at a time when South Africa continues to grapple with rising rural crime, particularly vicious farm attacks, livestock raids, and illegal crossing of borders.

According to the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) 2022/2023 crime statistics, over 5,000 stock theft cases were reported nationally, with Limpopo, Free State, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal being the hardest hit. The African Agricultural Union also reported a 10% year-on-year increase in farm-related crime, with farmers’ often citing response times and insufficient investigative capacity as major stumbling blocks. In addition, Agri SA has consistently alerted the public to the increasing levels of sophistication and organization of rural criminal syndicates that spill across South Africa’s porous boundaries.

AfriForum’s four-day training course, which combines theory and practical instruction on various types of terrain, teaches participants to identify, recognise, and follow human footprints over long distances. It also comprises tactical awareness training for potentially threatening encounters with armed criminals. Six of AfriForum’s top safety staff went through the course as part of its pilot project, and it will soon be offered to specially selected members of the organisation’s rural safety networks.

Roelof Viljoen, Business Development Officer of BACSA, greeted the initiative but called on it to be framed in accordance with national training standards and operating systems.

“BACSA welcomes the initiative by AfriForum,” said Viljoen.

“We hope the skill and its implementation will be taken into consideration in existing Rural Safety structures. It can then be implemented into operations, with Law Enforcement guidance. The course should be open to all participants and registered with SASSETA”.

SASSETA – the Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority – regulates and accredits safety-related training in South Africa. Accreditation ensures that every rural safety officer, whether private or civil society, operates from the same professional and ethical base.

AfriForum’s Training Manager, Thomas van Dalen, also emphasised that tracking should not be done in isolation.

“Tracking needs to be complemented by command-and-control action that is taken from the operation’s tactical headquarters or joint operations centre. Technology application – i.e., drones and CCTV, well-rehearsed contingency planning, and proper communication will make a big contribution to enabling the work of the tracker. All security role-players need to be coordinated,” van Dalen said.

This multifaceted rural safety approach aligns with BACSA’s strategic philosophy: that public-private collaboration, intelligence sharing, and uniform training are key to preventing and responding to rural crime effectively.

AfriForum’s Head of Community Safety Spokesperson, Jacques Broodryk, was hopeful for the initiative’s long-term prospects.

“This course provides a practical and experiential solution to a real problem that communities face on a daily basis. By developing these skills in-house, we improve AfriForum’s ability to act quickly and effectively in the event of emergencies.”

AfriForum also made plans to develop an advanced tracking course and certified instructor program to further disseminate rural safety skills across South Africa.

As rural crime evolves, innovative and collaborative answers will be required to protect lives, assets, and food security. BACSA, while promoting community-based safety initiatives, demands that they are accredited, accessible, and fully coordinated with the SAPS and broader national safety strategies. If well-coordinated, schemes like AfriForum’s tracking course could be an integral part of South Africa’s efforts to combat rural crime.

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For years, the water mafia has been collecting millions from municipalities by deliberately damaging infrastructure so that contractors have to be appointed to supply water to communities. With the help of corrupt municipal officials, these profitable contracts are often awarded to the water mafia – who do not hesitate to supply poor quality water to communities, AfriForum said in a statement.

“While the government fails to take concrete steps to protect essential infrastructure from vandals, AfriForum and its security network have already made progress in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality to face this problem. In recent years, the civil rights organisation has helped the metro, which spends R450 million annually on water tankers due to failing infrastructure, to install security cameras at reservoirs to protect this much-needed infrastructure from vandals. With the help of the cameras, many suspected vandals have already been arrested.”

“If the more than R2 billion spent on water tankers in Gauteng over the past five years had been used to repair infrastructure and safeguard it against sabotage, it would have benefited many more people than the short-term solution that water tankers provided. Moreover, it would not have funded a criminal syndicate, which is currently forcing the country’s water sector to its knees,” said Lambert de Klerk, Manager for Environmental Affairs at AfriForum.

“It’s clear that without the necessary intervention the situation will continue to deteriorate, therefore AfriForum calls on the Department of Water and Sanitation, in collaboration with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), to implement strict regulations and approval processes for independent water services, such as water tankers,” AfriForum stated.

“By allowing approved companies to supply water to communities, the government can eradicate the corrupt practices endemic to this sector. This is an important step to ensure that water supply is managed in a fair and sustainable way,” said De Klerk.

AfriForum added that it is ready to play a constructive role in facing this crisis. AfriForum can help municipalities to identify and repair leaks within the system, reduce water losses and ensure that available resources are used effectively. AfriForum’s neighbourhood watches can also offer an additional source of protection in the fight against vandals.

“AfriForum want to work with communities, the private sector and government to come up with sustainable solutions to improve water supply and ensure water security. By joining forces, we can loosen the water mafia’s grip on the water sector,” said De Klerk.

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