Take the step in 2019 to safeguard your environment
Any city or town has a heartbeat, and at Hartbeesfontein one of the pulses is Hartbeesfontein Safety.
This is very evident in the well-equipped control room awaiting me, after they most definitely saw me approaching on the R507 and R503, as per our appointment on the specific day. The chairman of the Hartbeesfontein Agricultural Union, Jaco Maré, says that safety is high on their agenda. Their commando was integrated into the commanding group in 2004. It consisted of Johan Lemmer, Frik Lemmer, Jaco Maré, André Kilian, Jan Meiring and Carlos da Silva. One of the most important mind shifts was to learn from one of the leaders in the field of safety, Smithfield Farmers' Union, after which they decided to establish their own control room. This was followed by switch towers which were erected at various places in 2016. The first seven was in 2016 as part of phase 1, followed by another seven in phase two and after phase three there were 22 towers. Sixteen of the towers are supplied with direct power and six are equipped with solar panels and batteries.
CAMERAS AND SWITCH TOWERS
Some of the 22 cameras and switch towers were erected on top of Senwes silos, namely Werda Silo, Melliodora Silo and Hartbeesfontein Silo. Two cameras were mounted on existing towers on the farms of two producers and they wish to thank them for their generosity.
OBJECTIVE IN ACTION
When they take action, the objective is to render first aid when necessary, block off the area and safeguard it. Their objective is to combat farm attacks, robberies and to assist the police service within the parameters of the law. Jaco's advice is to implement contingency plans and to ensure good and effective co-operation with the SAPS, neighbourhood watches, etcetera. They also hold regular strategic planning sessions and put up road blocks to ensure visibility, they hold discussions with the VIS and with Northwest Agri and Agri SA, who are well-disposed towards them.
COSTS AND PERSONNEL
Such a system could cost millions, with monthly costs running into thousands of rand. Although a lot of donations are received, a large portion of the costs have to be borne by the organisation. Hartbeesfontein Safety has five members of staff, who change shifts on an 8-hourly basis.
The equipped control room has seven screens, by which the area is secured. One of the members of staff in the control room, André Roux, even developed an application into which the model, colour and registration number of a suspicious vehicle are entered. The system then looks through a data base of previous cases, which means that quick and more effective action can be taken.
ADDITION ON VALUE
The additional value of such a safety system is that veld fires can be spotted sooner and riots can be dealt with more effectively. In order to be more effective, it is important not to stagnate. Expand, upgrade your systems in order to remain relevant. A few examples are better buildings, user-friendly systems for operators, strategic places and better cameras. Re-evaluate your systems regularly. The last bit of advice is that there should be good co-operation with neighbouring towns, in their case the Northwest towns of Coligny, Ventersdorp, Ottosdal and Wolmaransstad are critical. The reason for this is that the organisation should be aware of problems which could infiltrate its area and, since their system works so well, crime often moves to other areas.
MORE EXAMPLES
Although Hartbeesfontein Safety is one of the best, it definitely is not the only safety organisation. Discussions with Agri SA and AgriSecuritas revealed that many farmers' unions country-wide take outstanding action to promote safety in the agricultural environment and their communities, such as the Albany Bathurst District Agricultural Union in the Eastern Cape, Smithfield and Vierfontein in the Free State. Agri Kiepersol in Mpumalanga and Potgietersrus Agriculture, to name but a few. So, safeguard your area and agricultural environment by contacting the leaders in the industry - “It is one of the best investments that you can make,” Jaco said. And this journalist knows for sure that he was watched on camera, up to a distance of 40km, when he left Hartbeesfontein