Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) National Assembly (NA) parliamentarian Ntombovuyo Mente-Nkuna wanted Mashatile to elaborate on a “strategic plan”, including the roll-out of security surveillance infrastructure, apparently the responsibility of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cabinet cluster in remote rural areas.

Instead, she had to read about the JCPS “critical role” co-ordinating the national crime response, the “establishment” of electronic surveillance systems in metros and “identified hotspots” as well as the key’ private sector partners’ involvement where “a great deal of work still needs to be done” before reaching the non-answer to her question.

Mashatile’s reply has it electronic surveillance in metros such as Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Johannesburg and Tshwane are – due to the current fiscal constraints impacting on government, as a whole – are not fully in place.

On the nub of Mente-Nkuna’s question, the Mashatile reply made public on 11 July, reads: “The focus will invariably shift to under-served rural areas where crime prevention and community safety are urgent priorities. However, this does not diminish the responsibility and the focus of the JCPS Cluster to improve safety and security in rural areas”.

The South African number two notes further in his reply the SA Police Service (SAPS) is currently implementing a comprehensive and inclusive rural safety strategy. This is, according to his reply, “in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders in both the public and private sectors, to address rural safety as an integrated day-to-day policing approach”.

The “over-arching goal is to ensure a safer environment for all, support food security and provide consistent integrated policing for all who live, work (permanently or temporarily), or visit rural areas”.

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Strategy and Resources

The SAPS confirmed that rural safety, with a specific focus on stock theft prevention, remains a top priority. The cornerstone of their efforts is the Rural Safety Strategy, implemented in 2020. This multi-year plan aims to bolster safety in rural areas through integrated policing and collaboration with stakeholders such as the Departments of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform, and organised farming bodies.

Key interventions under the strategy include:

• Establishing Rural Safety Priority Committees at all levels of government.

• Partnering with the National Stock Theft Forum and Stock Theft Information Centres (STICs).

• Linking SAPS operations to private security networks through the Eyes and Ears (E2) project.

• Engaging in cross-border initiatives under SARPCCO and SADC frameworks.

To bolster investigative capacity, SAPS developed a Stock Theft Prevention and Investigation Guideline in 2023/24 and conducted nationwide training. A total of 263 investigators have completed the Stock Theft Investigators’ Learning Programme. Specialised Stock Theft and Endangered Species Units (ST&ESUs) have been established in all nine provinces, with 93 units operational nationally.

Livestock in Pounds

The SAPS provided figures on livestock currently impounded:

• Public pounds: 71 animals

• Private pounds: 652 animals

The Eastern Cape and North West provinces account for the majority of livestock held in private facilities, with 211 and 349 animals respectively.

Livestock Not Returned to Owners

Data over the past three financial years shows a sharp rise in livestock not returned to owners:

• 2022/23: 2 animals

• 2023/24: 82 animals (many forfeited to the state)

• 2024/25: 328 animals

The Eastern Cape alone reported 225 unreturned animals this year, while North West saw 66 cases.

Challenges and Disposal Procedures

Three primary challenges hinder the return of livestock:

1. Non-compliance with the Animal Identification Act, which mandates livestock marking.

2. Owners’ inability to pay pound-related fees.

3. Animal deaths due to illness while impounded.

Disposal of unclaimed or seized livestock is managed according to the SAPS National Instruction 8 of 2017: Property and Exhibit Management, particularly sections addressing livestock and the disposal of exhibits. These procedures include proper documentation, legal processes, and potential forfeiture to the state.

While the SAPS has outlined a structured and multi-agency approach to stock theft, the growing number of unreturned animals signals ongoing challenges in enforcement, compliance, and rural safety logistics. The issue remains a critical point of concern for both food security and economic stability in South Africa’s agricultural regions.

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On 21 May 2025, South Africa’s Portfolio Committees on Police and Agriculture held a joint sitting to examine the country’s rural safety crisis, with a focus on the controversial issue of farm killings. The hearing, which also included a progress update on the state capture investigations, exposed sharp political and ideological divisions, while revealing persistent institutional failings in safeguarding rural communities.

Farm Attacks: Unique Crisis or Politicised Myth?

The central issue was the consideration of a petition report on farm murders. Some members, such as Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament (MP) Lisa Shickerling, argued strongly that these attacks exhibit distinct characteristics and require specialised responses. She emphasised “the extreme brutality of these murders” and noted that they are “meticulously planned” and sometimes even “romanticised by political rhetoric” — a trend she said creates “a climate in which violence against farmers and farm workers is encouraged.”

One member stressed that attacks affect people of all races, not just white landowners. He proposed that “SAPS must better support community safety structures in rural areas,” including partnerships with farm and neighbourhood watch groups.

Others, however, pushed back against what they saw as a skewed narrative. African National Congress (ANC) MP Mogodu Moela warned that highlighting farm murders in isolation sends “a very wrong message and a wrong perception.” He urged MPs not to “paint a picture that farmers are being massacred,” insisting this misrepresents South Africa’s broader crime context. This sentiment was echoed by Deputy Minister Bushyelo, who stated unequivocally: “There is no genocide. All of us know what genocide is.”

Call for Inclusive and Precise Language

The committee wrestled with the semantics of the report. Several members called for the term “farm killings” to be replaced or complemented with “rural safety” to reflect the broader spectrum of victims and geographical realities. ANC MP Mothusi Montwedi argued that using the word “farm” disproportionately draws focus to white landowners and could obscure violence experienced by farm workers or residents of rural villages.

He said: “If you want to involve everyone, let it be rural safety, not farm. When you say farm, you are speaking to a certain category of people.”

However, Shickerling objected to completely removing the term “farm” from the discussion, stating: “We have farmers of every race in this country contributing to food sustainability. To claim this committee is only concerned with a certain group is simply untrue.”

Institutional Failings and Resource Gaps

MPs repeatedly criticised the lack of policing capacity in rural areas. Shickerling proposed that “rural safety units on both station and district levels must be formalised,” describing this as a consistent issue during oversight visits.

One member added that SAPS resources are “simply not sufficient,” pointing to the example of mounted units being stationed hundreds of kilometres from crime scenes. He also proposed increased police presence at livestock auctions to deter stock theft, noting that “unbranded or recently branded livestock should not be sold at auction without verification.”

The need for coordinated outreach with traditional leaders was also flagged. MK Party’s Glen Taaibosch called for greater collaboration with “the amakhosi and traditional leadership” in rural safety planning.

State Capture Update: Slow Progress, Limited Results

The hearing also included a presentation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) on the status of investigations stemming from the Zondo Commission on State Capture. The figures were sobering:

• Only seven matters currently before the courts.

• Nineteen recommendations under active investigation by the Hawks.

• 38 total arrests, including 29 individuals and 9 companies.

• 2,861 statements gathered.

However, committee members expressed serious dissatisfaction with the scope and pace of prosecutions. Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana asked bluntly: “Is this it?” He went on to describe the convicted as “runners” rather than “masterminds,” warning that the data “is not encouraging at all.”

Later, Gana proposed scheduled quarterly joint meetings to ensure “continued oversight and to develop a common understanding.” He also stressed that members of Parliament “need to ensure that facts and reality are presented and defended rather than stoke emotions around the safety on farms and rural communities.”

Despite the tension, a rare point of consensus emerged: the need for depoliticized, evidence-driven oversight. MPs proposed quarterly joint sessions to monitor rural crime and farm safety, better disaggregated crime statistics, and an outreach campaign involving traditional leaders and rural communities.

The Committees adopted the report, with amendments, and pledged continued collaboration. The hearing made clear that South Africa’s rural violence and corruption challenges are tangled in political sensitivities, operational constraints, and public perception battles. With the contentious nature of the issue rising to the centre of a conversation in the White House between President Cyril Ramaphosa and President Donald Trump, the world is now watching.

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