Durban – KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala is expected to meet with the farming community in Newcastle following a scourge in farm attacks across the province in recent weeks.
Zikalala will be accompanied by Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi and other senior government officials.
The visit follows a recent attack on a farm in Normandien that claimed the lives of Glen and Vida Rafferty.
The couple was found dead outside their home. Both had been shot in an apparent robbery.
The delegation is expected to visit the area on Saturday to engage on issues plaguing the farming community as well as look at ways in which farmers and farm workers can work together.
On Monday, Police Minister Bheki Cele is expected to host an imbizo on rural safety. Cele previously visited the area where members of the community and farmers raised their concerns around safety in the area.
The imbizo is aimed at looking at a holistic approach to rural safety that includes collaboration between government, the private sector and civil society.
DA spokesperson on Agriculture and Rural Development Chris Pappas has welcomed the move by the government to address this scourge.
He said while the meeting comes after far too many lives have been lost, the announcement is a clear acknowledgement by the KZN government that the province has a problem in farming and rural communities.
“We hope that the outcome of the engagement will result in action steps and practical solutions being implemented. We have become accustomed to talk shops that do not result in change.
’’The DA in KZN will follow the meeting and the implementation of recommendations closely. We will follow up on the suggestions by stakeholders in committees and in the legislature,” he said.
The Mercury