AfriForum congratulates SAPS on arrests after Baltimore farm murder

AfriForum congratulated the South African Police Service's (SAPS) Detective Service in Tolwe following the arrest of five men this morning for the murder of Johan van Rensburg, an elderly farmer, near Baltimore in Limpopo two days ago. The civil rights organisation added that its intensified campaign against farm attacks, to be announced in July, will depend, among other things, on cooperation with the SAPS on a local level.

Deputy CEO of AfriForum, Ernst Roets, said that some of AfriForum's members are frustrated with the SAPS, but that there are still good police officers who make a valuable contribution towards the fight against crime in South Africa. ‘We will continue to place pressure on the SAPS and the government to declare farm murders a priority crime and to establish specialist units for rural safety. We will, at the same time, encourage the public to take responsibility for their own safety through community safety networks, but to establish these in cooperation with their local police stations.' 

Roets added that the public's frustration with the SAPS is reasonable on many grounds and that this is why AfriForum will encourage communities to become involved in safety networks. ‘However, where good work is done, we will not hesitate to give acknowledgement."

Statement issued by Ernst Roets, Deputy CEO, AfriForum, June 21 2012

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