This was Free State Agriculture’s message to the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, at the National Rural Safety Summit that took place in Parys late last month. According to Gernie Botha, Chief Executive Officer of Free State Agriculture, the strategy focused on eight critical pillars that need implementation to ensure that safety in rural areas is addressed. The organisation further shares that the gathering of information, handling of crime scenes, specific shortcomings at Stock Theft Units and the lack of patrolling of the South Africa/Lesotho border, were cited as further obstacles. Requests for effective intervention to the Minister and SAPS's top management, as well as a request to appoint staff of established Control Rooms as reservists, were made.

The dilapidated conditions at the Potchefstroom College of Agriculture in North West is a cause of serious concern. This is according to the Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI). SAAI had obtained legal advice about possible actions that could be taken to save the college from total collapse. The editor of Farmer's Weekly, Janine Ryan, adds that the maintenance of the buildings and grounds has fallen so far behind that it made the environment unsafe to study and work in.

Ten new animal vaccines have been registered for the South African market. This development has been welcomed in the primary livestock industry. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has confirmed that the registrar of the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Seeds and Remedies Act, had approved vaccines against bovine and other forms of brucellosis, foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), and the feline immunodeficiency virus, among other animal diseases. Dewald Olivier, the spokesperson for Red Meat and Livestock Primary Cluster, said that he is particularly excited about the registration of new brucellosis vaccines, as this disease caused serious harm to the industry.

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The Department of Water and Sanitation calls on South Africans to actively participate in the annual Clear Rivers campaign, spearheaded by the department in its efforts to have pollution-free and healthy water sources. The department explains that the campaign was initiated in 2016 in the spirit of Mandela Month - a call for people to dedicate 67 minutes in the spirit of goodwill - to clean up rivers, canals, streams, wetlands and other water sources. This year’s campaign will be held under the theme “South Africa is a water-scarce country, clean up and protect water resources."

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