Sanlam, Corteva, NWK donate R1,1 million to help ensure rural safety

Agri Securitas Trust Fund is grateful to announce a donation of R1,1 million made to the Trust Fund by Corteva Agriscience, Sanlam and NWK limited at the Agri SA 2022 congress today. The generous donation is a vital contribution to the Trust’s work of supporting farming communities in their endeavours to protect themselves against farm attacks and general criminality.  

“Farmers worldwide are vulnerable to crime. But in South Africa, the farming community must also contend with brutal farm attacks, a phenomenon peculiar to our environment, compromising the country’s future food security. The vulnerability of farming and rural communities is therefore not only a farmers’ issue but a community issue and a national imperative, and we are encouraged to see the corporate world taking proactive steps to assist the sector in keeping farming communities safe,” said Cobus van Zyl, chairperson of the Agri Securitas Trust Fund. 

The funding will be used to expand the installation of camera systems, expensive technology that has proven to be successful in monitoring vast areas for criminality, and detecting veldfires before they can spread.  

Today’s donation underscores the strong partnerships forged between the agricultural sector and corporate world. It builds on the generous donations from other corporate partners including Nissan SA, supporting the vision of the trust fund to protect the farming community and have donated millions of rands over the past 21 years. 

The Trust Fund was founded by Agri SA in October 1998 as an initiative started by the late President Mandela after a special summit dealing with rural safety. Since 2017 the trust fund has supported more than 122 rural safety projects improving the safety, lives, and livelihoods of almost 8 800 farmers and 183 000 farmworkers and their dependents” says van Zyl. 

“Corteva Agriscience™ is on the ground and innovates collaboratively with farmers to help enable their success. Our collaboration with Agri Securitas Trust Fund demonstrates our commitment to rural safety and to the success of agriculture in South Africa,” said Tony Esmeraldo. Country Leader, Southern Africa at Corteva Agriscience. 

Karl Socikwa, Group Executive: Market Development and Sustainability at Sanlam says, “We know how catastrophic it would be to our country, economy, and communities if the agricultural sector is unable to offer us enduring food security. “As part of our long-standing relationship with the Trust Fund we will continue to support their exceptional efforts in helping increase the security in the vulnerable rural areas. Our purpose as a business is to empower generations to be financially confident, secure and prosperous and we hope this initiative will have an impact in this area for farming communities”.  

“NWK, the oldest agricultural company, was established in 1909 by farmers for farmers. For NWK, it is of utmost importance that the safety of producers, their families and farm workers be taken care of, the country's food security depends on it. This contribution to the Agri Securitas Trust Fund is therefore important to us as a matter of national interest of all South Africans” says Johan Bezuidenhout Group Manager: Corporate Marketing and Communication at NWK limited.  

The Trust is grateful for these donations, these companies should be recognised and supported for their contribution to the trust fund to ensure a safe and prosperous farming community” says van Zyl.

Enquiries:

Kobus Visser

Director: Agri SA Rural Safety & Provincial Affairs 

082 388 0010 

Cobus van Zyl

Chairperson: Agri Securitas Trust Fund

083 283 7076