DURBAN - Civil rights organisation AfriForum said murder accused farmer Garth Simpson stood a chance of success in court as he had a “good defence”.
The organisation said this during a media briefing on Thursday where it unpacked reasons behind providing Simpson with legal assistance.
This was while he appeared in Glencoe Magistrates Court for his bail application.
Simpson is accused of shooting and killing Qiniso Dlamini on a farm while he was there to collect cattle belonging to his family and the community, which were on the farm.
Dr Llewelyn Curlewis, a criminal law expert appointed by AfriForum to investigate the case and make recommendations, explained that, from a legal point of view, Simpson’s version will have a fully-fledged defence against the charges if it was accepted by the court, and that it was “unequivocally” substantiated by the cell phone video evidence.
He said the video was taken by the farmer’s son.
He also revealed that a second charge was added, as Simpson’s firearm licence had expired.
The organisation stated that Simpson’s success was dependent on being provided with excellent legal representation during the hearing so that he did not fall victim to “political and racial based accusations.”
Ernst Roets, AfriForum’s head of Policy and Action, said that as a rule, AfriForum did not usually get involved in individual cases, but this was an exception, because “there are bigger issues at stake that do not only affect the accused, but also the broader community.”
Roets describes the events at Dundee as tragic and said the case should be thoroughly investigated and justice must prevail.
“It is a fact that several national concerns are playing out on this issue. Farmers and people in rural areas are confronted daily with the reality of farm murders, land grabs, threats of expropriation, increasing crime rates and an inefficient police service. In these circumstances, it is inevitable that tragic incidents like this will take place on farms.”
Endumeni Municipality Mayor Sduduzo Mdluli has since denounced AfriForum’s stance on the matter.
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