AgriSA attended the Ministerial Business Commitment Dinner, hosted by the Ministry of Police in conjunction with Business Against Crime South Africa (BACSA) and the South African Police Service (SAPS). The dinner, held ahead of the upcoming National Policing Summit, marked a key moment in deepening cooperation between law enforcement and the business sector.
The event highlighted the importance of partnership policing and the value of joint efforts to ensure safer communities. As part of a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach, the dinner brought together business leaders, government stakeholders, and SAPS leadership to showcase tangible outcomes of collaboration through initiatives such as the Eyes and Ears (E2) project and other sector-specific safety interventions.
AgriSA welcomed this opportunity to engage directly with national role-players in safety and security. AgriSA’s Chairman of the Centre of Excellence: Rural Safety, Uys van der Westhuijzen noted this a momentous occasion for organised agriculture.
The inclusion of AgriSA at an event of this stature is a clear acknowledgement of the critical role that the agricultural sector plays in the broader crime prevention landscape.
AgriSA fully supports this shift by SAPS toward a more proactive rather than reactive policing approach and initiatives like the E2 project are a prime example of that. This recognition also reflects the significant capital investment made by farmers into rural security structures, such as CCTV camera networks, license plate recognition systems, and communication infrastructure, that are already being utilised daily by law enforcement agencies.
It also proves the successful cooperation between farmers and law enforcement through organised structures, such as local farmers’ associations affiliated to district and provincial bodies, and ultimately AgriSA – a model which aligns seamlessly with the principles of the SAPS National Rural Safety Strategy.”
Watch the event recording here: 🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=oJBg2DXHqA0
