Agri SA warns against South Africa’s potential perfect storm

South Africa is currently a place to be in - this is the conclusion Agri SA came to after an analysis of South Africa’s most important risks.

Johannes Moller, President of Agri SA explained that “South Africa is a tinderbox at the moment, with various risks playing out”. This condition relates to the following aspects:

- The national drought presents the biggest natural disaster in 30 years, with job losses, further economic decline and social instability being core to this reality. Poverty and food insecurity present an actual desperate condition for all South Africans. “Our economy and international standing is the worst it’s been in 22 years since the advent of democracy. Low economic growth and high inflation coupled with a dismal rand creates a challenging macro-economic environment. The world does not trust us anymore” Moller remarked.

- Violent crimes in general and particularly on farms are reaching epidemic proportions and Moller mentioned in several interactions with the government that this situation is getting more serious by the day. “The government cannot stand by and watch as rural communities, farmers and farm workers are being plunged into violence at unacceptable levels. Something has to give if the current crime situation continue” Moller remarked. 

- Government’s divisive statements are further polarising our communities, and as South Africans this does not assist in uniting our people. We are bound together by a constitution and the rule of law and must always respect this. Unqualified statements that refer to vast tracts of land that was stolen by farmers are factually incorrect and does not add to the ethos and letter of our constitution. We as citizens have to refute these statements and work together to position alternatives.

Now is not the time to panic and to make strategic blunders, now is the time to focus, to be calm, to work together as South Africans and to build the economy. “We have to be more patient, tolerant, proud and cooperative to make this work” Moller finally concluded.

Statement issued by Johannes Möller, President Agri SA, 13 January 2016