South Africa’s Afriforum Reports 44 Farm Murders and 157 Farm Attacks, Calls For Police Minister To Prioritize Ending Farm Murders
South Africa civil rights group Afriforum released its latest report on farm murders and farm attacks. Currently, 44 farm murders and 157 farm attacks have been committed in 2015. The civil rights group called on Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko to prioritize ending the farm murders.
IOL News reported that deputy CEO of Afriforum, Ernst Roets said there were four reasons that police needed to end the attacks now.
“In the first place, the calculations of independent research institutions indicate that the possibility for a farmer to be murdered, is more than double that of a police official. Secondly, these murders are often committed with exceptional levels of brutality. Thirdly, farmers have a vital role to play in society, especially with regards to job creation and food security. In the fourth place, we know that farmers live in isolated places, far from their neighbours and far from the nearest police station.”
Afriforum accused police of refusing to fight these crimes with the necessary urgency required. In the latest attack, in Thabazimbi, Limpopo province of South Africa, a 73-year-old farmer was assaulted and his 60-year-old wife shot in the head at their game farm when they were attacked by three people who overpowered them. Bruno Res was shot in the arm, while his wife, Petru, was shot in the head and died at the scene.
As previously reported in the Inquisitr, the last farmer to be murdered before the latest attack, was shot and killed for $21.64, when intruders attacked his farm with the intent to rob him and his family. Krishnadhaven Soobramoney Govender, 50, tried to fight off the attackers and was murdered during the attack. Critics of the police have repeatedly stated that the attacks are primarily aimed at whites and are racially motivated. The South African Human Rights Commission recently handed down a ruling that stated the attacks were not racially motivated.
Correction – 157 farm attacks and 44 slaughtered by terrorists – welcome to South Africa – http://t.co/CPgGchGHOY https://t.co/20XHRlcuWD
— JAN se PAL (@amerynick) September 23, 2015
#FarmMurder: Since beginning of 2015, 157 farm attacks occurred while 44 murders were committed during these attacks http://t.co/cjpaTnIcuI
—?a?a??a ~? (@N_ata6ha) September 22, 2015
Roets said in the Citizen that police are refusing to give priority to fighting these crimes.
“Despite this, the minister, the Department of Police and the South African Police Service (SAPS) generally refuse to fight these crimes with the necessary urgency.”
Earlier in the year, Afriforum reported that there had been over 1,700 farm murders in South Africa since the change in government in 1994. Critics estimate the number to be over 3,000, as police don’t always report deaths in farm murders as related to farm murders and report other causes of death instead.
Do you think South Africa police could do more to end the farm murders? What can be done to end the farm attacks and protect farmers?
[Photo Credit Pixabay]
