The month of February 2017 will forever be remembered by the Farming community of South Africa as one of the most brutal and bloody months thus far under ANC rule. Over the past 20 years, our people have been murdered on farms at an average rate of 1 every 5 days. This month it escalated to a murder every 43 hours and a farm attack every 15 hours.
15 People were murdered on South African farms this month and dozens more were beaten, tortured, raped, shot and stabbed, but survived. As we speak, two men, Johan Meyer and Dave Hough, are fighting for their lives in hospital and two women are dealing with the pain and humiliation of being raped by gangs of black attackers.
In some cases, there were as many as 10 savages involved in these attacks.
The situation in our towns and cities is no better where 12 people were butchered in their homes this month.
Of the 27 victims, 16 were elderly and 9 were women.
When asked to immediately address this issue in Parliament, Speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete replied that, although serious, farm attacks and murders were not urgent enough, or of sufficient national interest to allow for a parliamentary debate about it.
There is simply no political will to do anything to stop these murders. In fact, with a president that sings about shooting “Boers” and now openly calling for the expropriation of land without compensation, telling his followers that land was “stolen” from them, the silence from the government on this issue can be seen as nothing but tacit approval of these barbarous acts.
In South Africa, the average murder rate is 38/100 000. Policemen and women are murdered at the rate of 55/100 000 and for Farmers this rate is 128/100 000, making it the most dangerous occupation in the world!
In 2016, 70 people were murdered on farms in 345 farm attacks. That is an average of almost 6 people per month. In the first 2 months of this year, 23 people have already been murdered on farms.
Here are the names of the people murdered in February that I know about… Our prayers go out to their families and loved ones. May they rest in peace?
1 February
Gavin Carter (47) – Shot dead – Underberg, Natal
Nicky Harmse (61) – Shot dead – Kameeldrift-Wes, Gauteng
2 February
Daniël Kilian (62) – Shot dead – Leeupoort, Limpopo
3 February
Pats Truter (77) – Strangled – Naboomspruit – Limpopo
Elderly man – Beaten to death – Rustenburg – Northwest
5 February
Pieter Pieterse (57) – Beaten to death – Ellisras – Limpopo
Wilfred Ernsting (54) – Murdered – Henneman – Free State
6 February
Stephan Harris (28) – Beaten to death – Pretoria – Gauteng
7 February
Tanya Wiers (44) – Tortured to death – Pietersburg – Limpopo
10 February
Niels Erichson (65) – Shot dead – Rustenburg – Northwest
11 February
Trevor Rees (79) – Tortured to death – Underberg – Natal
12 February
Roelf Pretorius (57) – Shot dead – Springs – Gauteng
Franzi Neukomm – Murdered – Pietersburg
13 February
Jan Douwes (65) – Strangled – Gordonsbay – Western Cape
Ryno J v Rensburg – Beaten to death – Warmbad – Limpopo
14 February
Louis Smuts (45) – Shot dead – Balfour – Mpumalanga
Belinda Smuts (42) – Shot dead – Balfour – Mpumalanga
Gert Smuts (77) – Shot dead – Balfour – Mpumalanga
Paulina Smuts (74) – Shot dead – Balfour – Mpumalanga
16 February
Marie Verwey (80) – Stabbed to death – Stellenbosch – Western Cape
Christine Solik (57) – Beaten to death – Nottingham Road – Natal
Roger Solik (66) – Tortured to death – Nottingham Road – Natal
19 February
Susan Howarth (65) – Tortured to death – Dullstroom – Mpumalanga
23 February
Milly (95) – Raped and strangled – Uitenhage – Eastern Cape
24 February
Piet Jacobs (79) – Strangled – Hartswater – Northern Cape
25 February
Andre Durant (62) – Shot dead – Rustenburg – Northwest
26 February
Jossie Gilson (90) – Stabbed to death – Vanderbijlpark – Gauteng
Read the original story on the Sunette Bridges News Page
South Africa Today – South Africa News
