Farm murders are to be officially prioritised.

This was announced on Wednesday at a joint media briefing by the civil rights organisation AfriForum and the acting National Police Commissioner‚ Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane.

The briefing followed a joint workshop attended by AfriForum and Phahlane.

“Various steps will be taken‚ which comes down to a focused strategy against farm murders. The plan especially involves closer cooperation between the Police and local communities‚” said AfriForum.

AfriForum requested the discussions after Phahlane earlier this year stated in the media that farm murders should enjoy greater priority.

“We were concerned that this was simply a passing remark that would not necessarily lead to real action‚” said Ernst Roets‚ Deputy CEO of AfriForum.

During the discussions‚ AfriForum presented a submission to the police about farm murders and their impact and the reasons why it should be prioritised. This was followed by a presentation by the Commissioner about the steps that the police intended taking in a bid to curb farm attacks.

“We are convinced that these steps‚ if implemented‚ will have a real impact and that we could expect a decrease in farm murders.

“AfriForum has been driving a campaign since 2012 to have farm murders prioritised‚ and is of the opinion that‚ although the problem has not yet been solved completely‚ this step is a giant leap in the right direction.

“AfriForum will continue to cooperate with the Police to ensure that the plan will be implemented from ground level up‚” Roets said.