Heavily armed security officers that patrol the mountains and farms along Piketberg have been accused of unleashing a reign of terror against workers and taking over policing duties.
But farmers and members of the Special Security Task Force (SSTF), commonly referred to as the "K-9" unit, have denied any wrongdoing, stating that they are meeting the needs of a community affected by crime and police resourcing shortages.
The company was started just before Covid-19, but officially registered in 2021 and is financed by farmers in the area to protect their properties, lives as well as farmworkers.
Since their operation began, at least three cases of assault have reportedly been laid against the SSTF.
Some farmworkers have accused the security officers of beating them up and assisting farmers with unlawful evictions.
"I laid a criminal charge against the company after its security officers assaulted me in December 2022 when I visited my child who stays on a farm with the mother.
"They kicked me and hit me on my nose. All I wanted to do was to buy a pair of shoes for my son," said Gareth Pienaar.
Another farmworker who also laid a charge against a farmer, but did not want to be identified, was allegedly assaulted by them and a dog was set on another worker.
"It appears that the security company has become the private army of the farmers. We have received complaints that they brutally assault farmworkers during the unlawful evictions. It's illegal and the police do nothing,“ said ANC West Coast regional secretary, Neville Delport.
He said he would raise concerns with members of the ANC's National Executive Committee during a visit to Citrusdal scheduled to take place on Sunday.
SSTF manager, Francois de Jager said the company merely provided services in "an under-resourced area where even SAPS rely on us".
"I categorically deny those allegations. None of my members were involved in any evictions. My mandate is only to provide protection,“ he said.
De Jager admitted that he knew of one incident in which some members of the company were accused of assault after they were called in to Berg Skeur farm to "help with a domestic issue of violence".
"Criminal charges for assault and damage to property were laid against the members. Our involvement stopped then. But I learnt later that there were evictions on that farm. My team was not involved in those evictions,“ he said.
The second incident, he said, was related to a "drug test" and a raid the company conducted on the same farm.
"We did not find drugs but we were told by the farm owner that she had a challenge of a foreign national who was selling drugs," he said.
De Jager said the company specialised in offering protection, but also carried out "intelligence gathering", provided emergency medical services and fire fighting services across the West Coast district.
The SSTF Facebook page is filled with pictures taken during joint security operations with the local police and visits by politicians.
"We have installed approximately 60 CCTV cameras because the area we cover is vast. We work closely with SAPS who have called for our services on many occasions. We don't effect arrests, but we pass on intelligence information to them.
“This has helped the police with information that has led to the arrest of suspects, recovery of stolen copper cables, perlemoen and livestock," he said.
He admitted that the company was financed by farmers, but said the "intelligence information" service was made available free of charge to the police and sometimes to municipalities in the West Coast District.
"We are usually the first to detect criminal activities and we are the first to be called by the farmers,“ said De Jager.
The operations of SSTF have raised eyebrows among organisations that work with farmworkers.
The Rural and Farmworkers Development Organisation said it planned to urgently request the police ministry, the Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola and the South African Human Rights Commission to intervene.
The organisation's executive director, Billy Claasen said complaints received were of "grave concern" and described the activities of the security company of being similar to a "vigilante group".
"The owner of Berg Skeur farm is also accused of assaulting and setting dogs on the workers. The local police have not done anything and when they take statements from the victims they have tried to minimise the gravity of the assault," claimed Claasen.
Claasen said crime fighting agencies and community structures need to work together to fight crime, and SSTF had to be held accountable.
This view was echoed by local community policing forum (CPF) chairperson, William Samuels, who urged the SSTF to work with them.
"I've heard about them, but they don't have a seat on the CPF. We would love to work with them," added Samuels.
The owner of the Berg Skeur farm, Sanet Smit defended the services of SSTF, and described the area as being plagued by crime and drug abuse.
"We have a lot of burglaries and people stealing our fruit in the area. The police are under-resourced, that's why I called the security company. I have reported to the police, drug smuggling that is being carried out by a farmworker but they have not arrested them,“ she said.
However, she refused to respond to allegations that the security company was used to carry out unlawful evictions.
Weekend Argus