AgriSA and Business Against Crime South Africa (BACSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a formal framework for collecting, validating, and analysing rural crime data.
Source: ©Michael Moselle via
123RFThe collaboration will leverage BACSA’s flagship E2-Plus crime-fighting platform to build a more robust national evidence base. The initiative aims to provide law enforcement, policymakers, and the agricultural sector with verified, timely intelligence to counter threats that directly undermine South African food security, agricultural investment, and rural livelihoods.
Direct engagement with SAPS and the Hawks
Under the new agreement, AgriSA and BACSA will jointly monitor rural crime trends to produce co-authored, evidence-based reports, strategic submissions, and public statements.
The partnership outlines structured, ongoing engagement with the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks), and the National Rural Safety Priority Committee. The organisations confirmed that all joint data-gathering and information-sharing processes will strictly comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and other prevailing legal frameworks.
AgriSA chief executive officer, Johann Kotzé, emphasised the critical link between stable farming environments and national food supply chains:
"Rural safety is fundamental to food security, economic growth and the sustainability of agriculture. By strengthening the evidence base and working alongside our partners in business and law enforcement, we can support more informed decision-making and contribute to safer rural communities."
Enhancing the quality of national crime data
By combining the networks of organised agriculture with the technical capacity of the broader business community, the collaboration aims to replace anecdotal reporting with structured, credible crime statistics.
Adv Anton du Plessis, chief executive officer of BACSA, highlighted how the pooling of resources will support more targeted security interventions:
"This partnership strengthens the collaboration between organised business, organised agriculture and law enforcement. By combining our expertise and information, we can improve the quality of rural crime data and rural safety data and support coordinated and effective responses to crime."
