The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is deeply saddened by the murder of four people in two separate farm attacks in Midlands area of the province during the past week. The incidents saw an 85-year-old Albert Falls farmer shot dead and a family of three brutally killed near Bishopstowe.
These two heinous crimes are just the latest in what has been a terrible and tragic few months within KZN’s farming community. The DA in KZN extends its deepest condolences to all families and communities affected by the ongoing violence within our rural areas.
The DA’s proactive stance on farm and rural safety has already seen a number of proposals and solutions being made to KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala and his MECs for Agriculture and Community Safety. In addition to this, the DA made suggestions during a joint committee meeting of these two portfolios. Yet, despite four months having passed since then, there has been no further meeting in order to resolve these suggestions.
In all of these cases the blatant lack of political will and uncaring stance of the ANC-led provincial government is glaring. This lack of action borders on a dereliction of duty on the part of the provinces political leadership.
While government is quick to act against violence when it comes to truckers and cash-in transit vehicle heists, it is motionless and emotionless on matters involving farmers and farm workers, who are being attacked and murdered at a rate much higher than many other groups. This while the Premier and his provincial government are nowhere to be found.
Not only must they battle nature, the coronavirus and policy uncertainty while trying to keep South African’s fed, they must also spend their nights watching over their families and communities in the hope that they will not be next.
Our farmers, farm workers and rural communities must be protected against such heinous crimes. The question is – how much longer must they wait for government to take decisive action? Or, does the government want communities to take matters into their own hands?
The DA has written to the top ten international human rights organisations globally to request their assistance in fighting this ongoing scourge. We are awaiting their responses. We maintain our calls to have farm murders declared a hate crime and urge both President Ramaphosa and Premier Zikalala to treat this issue with urgency before communities take matters into their own hands.
