[Take note, these are watered-down Govt figures. The reality will be worse. Even so, its shocking stuff. Because the farmers are better prepared, there are more attacks and less deaths. Jan]

THERE were 4,106 attacks on members of the farming community in the five years between 2000 and 2004 resulting in 560 deaths, according to figures released yesterday by Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula.

Of these, 248 were in the Eastern Cape resulting in 36 deaths and 267 in the Western Cape during which 37 people were murdered. Replying to a written question from Pieter Groenewald (FF Plus), the minister said the highest number of attacks took place in Gauteng where 1 194 incidents were reported during which 166 people died. Mpumalanga had the second highest (937 with 92 deaths).

The lowest number of incidents took place in the Northern Cape (42 with eight deaths) followed by the Free State (166 with 29 deaths) followed by the Eastern Cape and Western Cape.

The number of attacks seems to be dropping in both the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape.

From 74 incidents in 2000, the figure dropped to 24 last year in the Eastern Cape, while in the Western Cape the number fell from a peak of 87 in 2002 to 39 in 2004. Statistics for the 2005 calendar year will only become available once crime figures for the 2005/2006 financial year are released by the minister later this year.

Nqakula said crimes against the farming community were registered under the relevant crime codes such as murder, attempted murder, assault and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

The attached figures, he added, reflected incidents reported to SAPS head office from lower levels of policing in the provinces according to prescribed instructions.

URL: http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/news/n13_29…/p>