Farmers demand action as stock theft crisis grows

Farmers in Namibia are suffering heavy losses from escalating stock theft, with agricultural unions warning of severe impacts on productivity.

This was said by four agricultural unions when they made presentations to the parliamentary standing committee on constitutional and legal affairs on 13 February.

The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), the Namibia National Farmers Union, the Namibia Emerging Commercial Farmers Union and the Previously Disadvantaged Namibian Farmers Union say the stock theft scourge is impacting productivity, growth and the well-being of the farming sector.

“This in turn negatively influences the agricultural output and earnings for Namibia,” they say.

According to the latest issue of the NAU newsletter, the union was requested by the National Assembly to attend a public hearing to present a submission and brief the committee on all the aspects raised in a motion submitted to the parliament.

The motion was “on the level and impact of stock theft in our communities and the impact of our current legislative framework to combat stock theft”.

The four farmers’ unions made a joint presentation of the challenges and possible solutions to the standing committee at a session attended by representatives of the Law Reform and Development Commission (LRDC).

The LRDC is a government commission established in 1992 to submit recommendations for legal reforms and is supported by the Ministry of Justice.

“The LRDC proposed a follow-up meeting soon, to better understand the farmers’ experiences and hear their recommendations,” the newsletter says.

The NAU urged affiliate farmers’ associations and various crime prevention forums (CPFs) to report all cases of stock theft, as this information can be used at a high level to raise awareness of the ongoing and increasing rate of crime in the agricultural sector.

“Our joint view is that the criminal justice system is failing the farmers of Namibia.

“Although good cooperation exists between the local CPFs and the police, the court proceedings seem far from optimal,” the farmers have told the standing committee.

They say the continuous extension of cases, loss of dockets, inadequate preparation by prosecutors, or non-attendance of magistrates is a daily reality leading to farmers to report stock theft cases.

“This leads to huge frustration among farmers and requires urgent attention by the relevant ministry.

“We propose that stock theft cases should also be handled by the same specialist courts which deal with wildlife and environmental crimes to get a grip on this serious issue,” the farmers says.

– email: matthew@namibian.com.na

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