Johannesburg - There has been 44 farm murders since the beginning of the year, civil rights organisation Afriforum said on Tuesday.
“Since the beginning of 2015, 157 farm attacks occurred while 44 murders were committed during these attacks,” said deputy CEO Ernst Roets.
“AfriForum once again made an appeal to Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko to prioritise farm murders.”
He said the latest killing was that of an elderly woman at a game farm in Thabazimbi, Limpopo. Bruno Res, 73, was shot in the arm and his wife Petru, 60, was shot in the head when three people overpowered them on Friday. Petru died at the scene.
Roets said farm murders were a crisis, and accused the police ministry of failing to prioritise the crimes. He stated four reasons why farm attacks needed urgent attention from police.
“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,” said Roets.
“Despite this, the minister, the Department of Police and the South African Police Service generally refuse to fight these crimes with the necessary urgency.”
ANA