LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS No. 167. THURSDAY 16 AUGUST 2018
VIOLENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA
Order of the day read for resumption of the adjourned debate of the question on the motion of Revd Mr Nile:
1. That this House notes:
(a) Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,
(b) a political culture of racist violence has been fostered in South Africa, which can be witnessed by: (i) the recent revival of a revolutionary hymn to “Shoot the Boer” among the political elite, (ii) the statement of former President Zuma that “We are going to shoot them with machine guns … shoot the Boer, we are going to hit them, they are going to run,” (iii) the statement of Julius Malema that “We are not calling for the slaughter of white people, at least for now” and more recently that “the time for reconciliation is over” and furthermore that “go after the white man. If you cut a white man they feel terrible pain,” (iv) whites, who make up under ten percent of the national population and who have been farming the land for over 350 years, are routinely referred to as “settlers” by government officials, (v) the South African Parliament under President Cyril Ramaphosa recently voted in support of a motion to accelerate the expropriation of white owned and cultivated farm land without compensation to the owners, and
(c) this dehumanisation and targeting of an ethnic minority has created an environment where:
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(i) white farmers are allegedly five times more likely to be murdered than the general population of South Africa, with an estimated four thousand already killed since the ANC came to power, (ii) farm attacks are often characterised by extreme brutality, which includes the physical dismemberment, torture, and rape of the victims, and also involves the killing of children and infants in horrendous ways that suggest hate is a motivating factor, (iii) there is a view that authorities are not treating the farm attack phenomena with the urgency it deserves.
2. That this House calls on the Government to:
a. as a matter of principle, strongly condemn: (i) any and all calls for the killing, marginalisation, persecution, victimisation and targeting of any racial minority group in the Republic of South Africa by any of its officials, past or present, (ii) Any law that unjustly expropriates land from any individual without fair, just and equitable compensation,
b. call upon the foreign mission of the Republic of South Africa to confirm the veracity of the factual statements listed in point 1 above,
c. call upon the Commonwealth government to raise the issue of the alleged racial targeting of farmers in the Republic of South Africa, and to do so in the appropriate international forum, and
d. investigate what New South Wales can do to assist the victims of any racist violence committed against the Boer and white farming community, including investigating the possibility of offering to resettle victims here, or assisting their resettlement in another appropriate jurisdiction.
Debate resumed.
Mr Harwin moved: That the question be amended by:
1. omitting all words after “Genocide” in paragraph 1.
2. omitting all words after “That this House” in paragraph 2 and inserting instead: “strongly condemns:
(a) any and all calls for the killing, marginalisation, persecution, victimisation and targeting of any racial minority group in the Republic of South Africa by any of its officials, past or present, and
(b) any law that unjustly expropriates land from any individual without fair, just and equitable compensation.”
Debate continued.
Mr Franklin moved: That the amendment of Mr Harwin be amended by omitting the word “minority” from paragraph 2(a).
Debate continued.
Question: That the amendment of Mr Franklin to Mr Harwin’s amendment be agreed to—put and passed.
Question: That the amendment of Mr Harwin, as amended, be agreed to—put and passed.
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Original question, as amended: That this House notes:
1. Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
2. That this House strongly condemns:
(a) any and all calls for the killing, marginalisation, persecution, victimisation and targeting of any racial group in the Republic of South Africa by any of its officials, past or present, and
(b) any law that unjustly expropriates land from any individual without fair, just and equitable compensation.—put and passed.
