Farm killings a national emergency

THE political bickering taking place between political parties while unsuspecting farmers and farm workers continue to be the sitting ducks of brazen criminals is the biggest failing in our country’s democratic era.

Once again, the farming community in KwaZulu-Natal is reeling with shock after yet another brutal killing of a prominent farmer, Glen Rafferty, and his wife Vida, on their farm in Normadien on Saturday night.

The couple’s lifeless bodies were discovered near the front door of their farmhouse in the early hours of the morning.

The brutality and viciousness of the act was signified by the suspects even killing the owner’s dogs.

In the Western Cape, a 57-year-old was arrested in the Wilderness after he was linked to the killing of a 50-yearold man on a farm on Sunday.

The killing of farmers and farm workers should be treated as a national emergency by the government and law enforcement agencies, as it has a direct impact on the country’s food security.

The truth is people, black and white, are being killed on our farms across South Africa and as a nation we should be appalled, disgusted and outraged.

As a nation, we should speak up when opposition parties and pressure groups use farm murders as a race issue to gain political traction.

We should also not keep quiet when our government shows lack of urgency in tackling such a serious crime.

By failing to act decisively by putting a stop to farm murders, the government is playing into the hands of right-wing elements who want to turn acts of ordinary crime into a race issue.

Transparency and openness should be the hallmark of the police action if they want to win back the trust of the farming community. This should include farmers working closely with relevant government departments to improve relations with their employees.

It is possible, although not the only factor, that strained relations, poor working conditions and meagre wages could lead to resentment that could spark violent action.

Either way, the government, police and the community cannot fold their arms when farmers and farm workers are getting killed.