Attack on Valencia ‘was similar’

Cape Town - 130211 - Sylvia Farmer, whose daughter, Valencia Farmer, was stabbed 52 times, gang-raped and left for dead in a dilapidated and dirty house in Eerste River on June 27, 1999, speaks to the Cape Argus following the gang rape and brutal murder of Anene Booysen. Reporter: Kieran Legg PICTURE: DAVID RITCHIE

Cape Town - 130211 - Sylvia Farmer, whose daughter, Valencia Farmer, was stabbed 52 times, gang-raped and left for dead in a dilapidated and dirty house in Eerste River on June 27, 1999, speaks to the Cape Argus following the gang rape and brutal murder of Anene Booysen. Reporter: Kieran Legg PICTURE: DAVID RITCHIE

Published Feb 12, 2013

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Cape Town - The attack on Anene Booysen is a case of déjà vu for Melvern de Bruyn, a facilitator for the Department of Community Safety.

He’s been struck by the similarities in Anene’s case and that of the rape and murder of 14-year-old Valencia Farmer in Eerste River 13 years ago.

Valencia, from Eersterivier, was gang-raped, her throat slit and she was stabbed 53 times. Before she died, she had crawled to a street where she was found by neighbours, and like Anene, was able to pass on the names of her attackers.

At the time, De Bruyn was the community police forum chairman in Blue Downs.

He now works as a facilitator training neighbourhood watch members, reservists, law enforcement personnel and NGOs. This week, he happens to be working in Bredasdorp, where Anene was attacked. They were training 170 volunteers in the town, De Bruyn said.

Valencia had “come from a tavern, with people she knew”, and was on her way home when she was misled and taken to another area, he said.

He described Booysen’s murder as “a gang initiation, where you get status in the field”.

Booysen had been in a pub with friends and an ex-boyfriend before she was brutalised 10 days ago.

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