Farm murder tally close on reaching 3 000
Written by Adriana Stuijt, NetherlandsIn 1994 there were 442 raids by black gangs on SA farms, causing 92 deaths of white people.
In 1995, there were 551 such raids which resulted in the deaths of 121 white people.
In 1996, there were 468 such raids which resulted in the deaths of 109 white people.
In 1997, there were 434 such raids which resulted in the deaths of 84 white people.
In 1998, there were 827 such raids which resulted in the deaths of 145 white people.
In 1999, there were 834 such raids which resulted in the deaths of 136 white people.
In 2000, there were 902 such raids which resulted in the deaths of 142 white people.
And, up to October, 2001 there were 809 such raids which resulted in the deaths of 106 white people.
Thus, whilst
Nelson Mandela was the President of South Africa from May 1994 until June 1999, there were around 3,000 attacks on isolated white-owned farmsteads during which nearly 600 members of South Africa's white farming community were slaughtered by well-organised, heavily-armed black death squads.
He never issued any statements condemning these attacks when he was President."2007 armed
farm attacks increased by 23,8% due to Mbeki's decision to end the commando-rural policing system, warns opposition party"
According to the statistics being maintained on the website
http://groups.msn.com/crimebustersofsouthafrica at least 2,942 farm murders have been recorded there since 1994 - primarily of Afrikaner farmers, their kin and their families.
Please note that this record is incomplete since many farm murders remain underreported or are reported without mentioning the fact that the murder occurred on a farm or smallholding.
Members of the Transvaal Agricultural Union, deeply upset about the double-murder on 82-year old Bronkhorstspruit farmer Hendrick Janse van Rensburg and his 17-year-old grandson Dean Charles Woodraffe on the farm Zusterstroom, on Monday March 17 held a protest demonstration at the local law-courts against the arrested suspect's bail application.
The chairman of TAU-Centraal region, Anthony Scott-Dawkins, handed over a petition to the magistrate on behalf of the entire farming community, opposing an arrested man's bail.
He also expressed his condolances with the family of the murdered men.
"To lose an elderly, believed father and grandfather, and a grandson simultaneouosly in such a cruel fashion, makes dealing with the trauma of such a loss so much more difficult,' he said.
Scott-Dawkins has called on the local police to also investigate 'anti-white racism' as a motive for the murders.
"It simply is no longer acceptable that farmers are being murdered in this cruel fashion and that just a cellphone was 'robbed' as the only motive.
"People don't just get murdered for something as petty as a cellphone.
"There must be other motives behind this and it's high time that the police investigates these underlying motives much more thoroughly.'
"Every murder on a farmer is one murder too many'.
A farm worker from a neighbouring farm, 24-year old Isaac Masutu, had made a brief appearance in court and applied for bail on March 17.
It is believed that Masutu was not alone when carrying out the attack and police are still investigating. Scott-Dawkins also issued an 'urgent call to farmers to make sure who they are hiring and to check a potential employee's past criminal records.'
The TAU also warned that farmers should exercise strict control over the visitors to their workers' cottages -- to prevent them from 'bringing any criminal elements to the farm'.
"Farmers must remain alert at all times,' he warned.
Topic: South Africa Farm murder tally close on reaching 3 000 (Read 5255 times)