Latest news with #JacquesBroodryk
The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
AfriForum calls for tougher sentencing for cable thieves
AfriForum says civil society may need to step in where government fails. A man with alleged stolen copper cables around his neck in Mokgola village in Zeerust after his arrest. Picture: Gallo Images / Sowetan / Tiro Ramatlhatse AfriForum has called on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to enforce harsher sentences for copper cable theft as its scale is staggering. AfriForum's chief spokesperson for community safety Jacques Broodryk said theft has become a national epidemic, especially in high-risk areas such as the Cape provinces, where cellphone towers, fibre networks and batteries for cellphone networks are systematically looted. This leaves entire communities without electricity, communication and access to emergency services. AfriForum slams petty theft narrative 'It is completely unacceptable that criminals can steal kilometres of copper from Eskom, Transnet and telecommunications towers while the courts treat it like petty theft. This is not a petty crime. This is economic sabotage,' he said. 'The people who suffer the most are ordinary South Africans in places like Port Elizabeth, the Garden Route and the Karoo. These are the ones who are literally left in the dark. 'Eskom reports up to R7 billion in annual losses due to illegal connections and non-technical losses in Gauteng alone. 'Even Transnet has recorded over 3 500 incidents of cable theft in a single year. The total cost of cable theft is estimated to be R46.5 billion per year. This includes lost productivity, repairs and estimated service disruptions at hospitals, schools and households,' he added. ALSO READ: Tshwane cleansing levy 'unfair double tax on residents', AfriForum says Civilian protection units Broodryk said AfriForum has already begun looking into training opportunities for specialised civilian teams to assist in safeguarding critical and essential infrastructure in areas, such as the Cape provinces, which are sometimes repeatedly hit without adequate response from government or law enforcement. 'If the government refuses to act, civil society must step in,' he said. Ward 1 councillor Leon Kruyshaar said in the Suiderberg area in the west of Pretoria, a 11kW cable was dug out overnight. 'It was trenched out. You can see the people worked here during the night and stole this cable. 'This is the reason why there is no power in Mountainview and Suiderberg areas. They stole the cable during the night which caused a back flash to the substation. 'This trench may have taken a day or two to dig. It's quite a bit of work, or there were several people busy trenching,' he said. Water meter theft Ward 98 councillor Dana Wannenburg was concerned about the daily theft of brass water meters. In some areas it was four or more daily. 'It is out of control and the City of Tshwane's failure to act pushes communities to the brink of desperation,' he said. NOW READ: AfriForum lays criminal charges against municipal managers
IOL News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
War of words between AfriForum and Steenhuisen over farm murders
AfriForum's community safety spokesperson Jacques Broodryk has criticised Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen. Image: afriforum A heated exchange has erupted between AfriForum's Jacques Broodryk and DA leader John Steenhuisen over the prioritisation of farm attacks and murders. Last month President Cyril Ramaphosa, along with some of his cabinet ministers, including Steenhuisen who is Minister of Agriculture, visited US president Donald Trump in Washington to fend off false claims of white genocide in South Africa. However, Trump ambushed the group with videos and articles to prove that white farmers were being targeted for their land. Steenhuisen, speaking at that meeting, reiterated that he was working with the police ministry to curb farm killings in the country. 'As the Minister of Agriculture it is something that I am particularly exercised with my colleagues at police and my colleagues in the justice cluster to stop, making farm attacks and stock theft a priority crime. And it affects all farmers in South Africa,' Steenhuisen said at the Oval office. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. 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Next Stay Close ✕ The controversy stems from Steenhuisen's recent statements in the US, where he emphasised the need to declare farm attacks and stock theft priority crimes. According to Broodryk, Steenhuisen's words are nothing more than empty promises, and it's time for him to take concrete action. "It is unfortunate that it took a humiliating meeting with the leader of the US for the Minister of Agriculture to come to his senses and finally admit that farm attacks and murders should be declared a priority crime," Broodryk wrote in a statement. "This is despite the issue being ignored until now." Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen hits back at Afriforum over farm murders. Image: Henk Kruger/Independent Newspapers Broodryk's sentiments are rooted in AfriForum's long-standing call for farm attacks to be prioritised, a plea they consider to have fallen on deaf ears. The organisation's research reveals that more than 95% of all farm attack and murder incidents remain unsolved, with convictions made in only 66 cases out of 1,402 incidents recorded between 2019 and 2022. According to Broodryk the crux of the issue lies in the government's refusal to prioritise farm attacks, despite the severity and frequency of these crimes. Broodryk contends that other crimes, such as rhino poaching and cash-in-transit heists, have been given priority status, while farm attacks are neglected. "While rhino poaching is considered a priority crime and political murders receive special attention through dedicated task teams, farm attacks do not receive the same treatment," he said. "Clearly, politicians' lives are considered much more important than those of our farmers." In contrast, Steenhuisen claims that his office has been working with the Minister of Police's office to address farm attacks. "There has been collaboration between my office and the Minister of Police's office, including a joint parliamentary portfolio committee meeting between Agriculture and Police," Steenhuisen said. He also said he highlighted the issue of farm attacks in his speech during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) months before his Washington visit. Steenhuisen fired back at Broodryk, saying that he had been working behind the scenes to address farm attacks and that AfriForum's accusations were unfounded. "It is simply not true that I first raised this issue in the Oval Office," Steenhuisen said. "If the gentleman concerned had taken time to meet with me before shooting from the hip, I could have told him of the numerous interventions that have taken place and are yet to take place."
