The civil rights organisation AfriForum announced an intensified campaign against farm murders today.
It also directed an open letter to Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa, in which it demands the President to intervene. Ten practical steps that government should take to combat farm murders effectively are also detailed in the letter. To kick off the campaign, AfriForum today published a short documentary on the December 2010 murders of Attie (40), Wilna (36) and little Wilmien Potgieter (2) in the vicinity of Lindley.
The campaign was implemented after the previous month saw a sharp increase in farm murders. June 2020 witnessed 40 farm attacks and five murders, while 15 farm attacks and four farm murders were committed in July.
In addition to the work that AfriForum is doing to combat farm murders and support victims of farm attacks, the organisation’s intensified campaign includes:
A ten-point-plan submitted to Pres. Ramaphosa, which contains steps that the South African government should take to combat farm murders;
The publication of a documentary about the Lindley murders in December 2010, which will be the first of a series of documentaries on farm murders;
An intensified awareness campaign in which the stories of farm attack victims are related; and
An awareness campaign on people’s rights and how they can effectively fight back to defend themselves and their communities.
Ernst Roets, Head of Policy and Action at AfriForum, says that AfriForum does not ask for special treatment, but rather for equal treatment. “The South African government has no qualm with developing focused counterstrategies in response to a variety of unique crimes. These include violence against women and children, gang-related violence, copper cable theft, cash-in-transit heists and rhino poaching, to name but a few. It is only in the case of farm murders that we are suddenly confronted with, at worst, a justification of these crimes by cabinet members, or, at the very best, a downplaying of the existence of the crisis.”
According to Ian Cameron, AfriForum’s Head of Community Safety, the law provides for ample space in which law-abiding citizens can protect themselves. “This right must be taken up and utilised. It is high time that every law-abiding citizen who live and work in a rural area arm themselves within the framework of the law. Every person should know when they may shoot and must be able to protect themselves, their families, neighbours and community. Arm yourself and familiarise yourself with your weapon.”
Cameron also says that the increase in attacks will most probably not subside. “Government has done nothing but to let our rural communities down. We have to organise ourselves and act proactively to ward off attacks.”
Farmers and farm workers continue to fight back and defend themselves since attackers are increasingly being wounded or killed by their victims.
According to Dr Theo De Jager, Saai’s Chairperson of the Board of Directors, farm attacks and murders have reached a critical point. Foreign governments, multilateral institutions and international media increasingly ask difficult questions about this crisis. No solution is possible without government first recognising that South Africa has a problem with farm attacks and farm murders.
De Jager further says that government action should start with 1) a formal, independent enquiry into the drivers, nature and origins of, as well as the politico-social environment around the phenomenon of farm attacks, and 2) the establishing of a special multi-departmental unit to address the problem.
“For the current situation and especially given government’s position on it, there is no alternative for vulnerable farming families to arm themselves, raise their levels of alertness, be well organised in local farmers patrols and help themselves and each other in emergencies.”
AfriForum kondig verskerpte veldtog teen plaasmoorde aan; eis ingryping deur Ramaphosa
Die burgerregteorganisasie AfriForum het vandag ’n verskerpte veldtog teen plaasmoorde van stapel gestuur en ’n ope brief aan pres. Cyril Ramaphosa gerig waarin die President se ingryping geëis word. Tien praktiese stappe wat die regering behoort te doen om plaasmoorde doeltreffend te bekamp, word ook in dié brief uiteengesit. Om die veldtog af te skop, het AfriForum vandag ’n kort dokumentêr bekendgestel oor die moord op Attie (40), Wilna (36) en klein Wilmien Potgieter (2) naby Lindley in Desember 2010.
Die veldtog is van stapel gestuur nadat daar die afgelope maand weer ’n skerp toename in plaasmoorde was. In Junie 2020 was daar 40 plaasaanvalle en vyf moorde en in Julie 2020 was daar reeds 15 plaasaanvalle en vier plaasmoorde.
Bykomend tot die werk wat AfriForum reeds verrig om plaasmoorde te beveg en plaasaanvalslagoffers te ondersteun, sluit AfriForum se verskerpte veldtog die volgende in:
’n tienpuntplan wat aan pres. Ramaphosa voorgelê word met stappe wat die Suid-Afrikaanse regering behoort te doen om plaasmoorde te beveg;
die bekendstelling van ’n dokumentêr oor die Lindley-moorde in Desember 2010, wat die eerste van ’n reeks dokumentêre films oor plaasaanvalle is;
’n verskerpte bewusmakingsveldtog waarin die verhale van plaasaanvalslagoffers vertel word; en
’n bewusmakingsveldtog oor mense se regte en hoe hulle doeltreffend kan terugveg om hulself en hul gemeenskappe te verdedig.
Ernst Roets, hoof van Beleid en Aksie by AfriForum, sê AfriForum vra nie vir spesiale behandeling ten opsigte van plaasaanvalle nie, maar vir gelyke behandeling. “Die Suid-Afrikaanse regering het geen probleem daarmee om gefokusde teenstrategieë te ontwikkel om ’n verskeidenheid van unieke misdade te bekamp nie. Dit sluit in geweld teen vroue en kinders, bendeverwante geweld, koperkabeldiefstal, transitorooftogte en renosterstropery, om maar ’n paar te noem. Dit is slegs in die geval van plaasmoorde dat ons skielik gekonfronteer word met, in die ergste geval, kabinetslede wat dié misdade regverdig, of ten beste die bestaan van die krisis as iets onbelangrik afmaak.”
Volgens Ian Cameron, AfriForum se hoof vir Gemeenskapsveiligheid, laat die wet oorgenoeg ruimte vir wetsgehoorsame burgers om hulself te beskerm. “Dié reg moet eenvoudig opgeneem en gebruik word. Dit is hoog tyd dat elke wetsgehoorsame burger wat in ’n landelike gebied werk en woon hulself binne die raamwerk van die wet bewapen. Elke persoon moet weet wanneer hulle mag skiet, en moet in staat wees om hulself, hul gesinne, bure en gemeenskap te beskerm. Bewapen jouself en leer jou wapen ken.”
Cameron sê voorts dat die toename in aanvalle waarskynlik nie gaan afneem nie. “Die regering het ons landelike gemeenskappe tot nou bloot in die steek gelaat. Ons moet onsself organiseer en proaktief optree om aanvalle af te weer.”
Boere en werkers bly egter toenemend terugveg en hulself verdedig aangesien meer aanvallers die afgelope tyd deur slagoffers gewond of gedood is.
Volgens dr. Theo De Jager, Saai se direksievoorsitter, het plaasaanvalle en -moorde ’n kritieke punt bereik. Buitelandse regerings, multilaterale instellings en die internasionale media vra toenemend moeiliker vrae daaroor. Geen oplossing is moontlik voordat die regering nie eers erken dat plaasaanvalle en -moorde ’n probleem is wat Suid-Afrika in die gesig staar nie.
De Jager sê ook dat die regering se reaksie moet begin met 1) ’n formele, onafhanklike ondersoek na die faktore, aard en oorsprong van, asook die polities-sosiale omgewing waarin die verskynsel van plaasaanvalle voorkom, en 2) die skep van ’n spesiale multidepartementele eenheid om dié probleem die hoof te bied.
“Dis te wyte aan en veral die regering se houding jeens die heersende situasie dat daar geen ander keuse vir weerlose plaasgemeenskappe is as om hulself te bewapen, hul waaksaamheid op te skerp en hulself in goed georganiseerde plaaslike plaaspatrollies te organiseer om hulself en mekaar in geval van nood te help nie.”
This Press Release shared Internationally- Translated in German, French and Spanish.
