Brutal farm killings force communities to mobilize while government turns a blind eye
5 June 2023
The civil rights organisation AfriForum urgently appeals to farmers and rural residents to step up their security and preparedness. According to AfriForum, there have been at least seven farm murders nationwide in the past week. This past weekend alone, four people were killed in two separate incidents. In both incidents, the elderly was targeted.
Hennie and Anneke Claassen were brutally tortured and murdered on a farm outside Ohrigstad, while Pierre and Belinda de Kock were murdered on their farm outside Piketberg.
The organization expresses its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victims.
“AfriForum urges farmers and rural residents to urgently get involved with their local neighbourhood or farm watches. The only way to curb these horrific attacks is for communities to mobilize and step up their preparedness,” says Jacques Broodryk, AfriForum’s spokesperson for Community Safety.