Two violent farm attacks recently, in which a farmer was shot dead, shocked the farming community in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This brings the total number of farm attacks in the province to 13 for the first six months of 2015.
According to Mr. Koos Marais, manager of KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union’s (Kwanalu) security office, it is 13 too many.
“It’s not a significant increase in the number of attacks over the same period last year. In the first five months of 2014 there were 12 attacks and three murders. Over the same period this year, there were 13 attacks and also three murders. I’m certainly not condoning the attacks, but it is encouraging to see that there is not an increase. Eventually we would like to have no attacks and we strive ourselves to achieve this,” said Marais.
In the most recent incident on June 2, 2015 at Nyoni to the KZN north coast, Mr. Peter Johnson was shot through the heart and his brother, Mr. Ian Johnson, was wounded in the face and feet by attackers on their farm. The attackers fled when Ian and his wife, Cheryl raised the alarm.
Marais meets monthly with the provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni and her 13 provincial Cluster-commanders. “These meetings are really pro-active. We exchange intelligence and it results in arrests and sentencing. In 32 of the past 35 farm attacks the perpetrators have been arrested and they were brought to justice due to good communication between us and the police,” said Marais.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
