Sunflower seeds worth about R84 000 were stolen on a farm near Migdol in North West this past week.

By Suzanne Venter

“This is the third time in five years that some of my sunflower seed has been stolen,” says the farmer, who wishes to remain anonymous.

He sounds despondent. “If you want to farm in this country, you have to prepare yourself for this kind of thing. We cannot rely on the authorities to help or protect us; we’re on our own.”

He says the seed was stored in a steel shed. Because the lock was cut during the previous break-in, he installed additional locks and stoppers on the inside of the door.

“But the burglars somehow managed to push out the pins, broke open the door and took the seed.”

Also read: Seed theft costing Free State and North West farmers millions

As on previous occasions, it was clear that the burglars were after specific seed.

“There was also Roundup, soya beans and maize seed in the shed, and two types of sunflower seed, but they stole only 24 bags of one specific variety,” he says.

The farmer had both Pannar and Pioneer sunflower seed stored on a pallet. “They unpacked the Pioneer bags and stole 24 bags of the Pannar seed.

“They don’t just steal at random – they have preferences. And I have cameras monitoring the shed, but as luck would have it, one camera’s card was full and the other one didn’t record the burglars.”

Also read: Maize seed worth R450 000 stolen on one farm

In addition to sunflowers, he also farms maize, soya beans, sheep, cattle and game.

He says theft on farms in the area is frequent – everything from diesel to livestock is targeted. He says he has reported the latest incident to the police but doesn’t expect much to come of it.

“Last year, I caught people red-handed stealing diesel. The stolen fuel was in their vehicle. I reported it to the police, but nothing happened. I only got an SMS at one point saying I had to be in court, but I received it too late – and the case was thrown out.

“Nobody called me or told me I had to be in court. A policeman later told me I should have received a summons, but I never did. This is what our legal system looks like these days.”

At least R2,9 million worth of seed has been stolen in North West and the Free State this planting season.