Farm attacks and murders are terror and sabotage

26 June 2024

TLU SA declares that farm murders can no longer be considered merely as crime, but as terrorism and sabotage.

"When a farmer and his workers, or any innocent citizen, are hunted and cold-bloodedly shot with AK47s and R4 or R5 assault rifles, we realise that this is not ordinary crime; it is a terrorist attack and an act of sabotage against the country," says Bennie van Zyl, general manager of TLU SA.

"These incidents are not just statistics that can be casually added up while the country's politicians in parliament engage in power plays," says Van Zyl. "Criminals and those awaiting trial jostle for positions in the highest house of the land, where this injustice against citizens has been overlooked and become commonplace."

The state has a constitutional responsibility to ensure the safety of its inhabitants, funded by tax payments.

The recent attack on farmer Francois Oosthuizen in KwaZulu-Natal, where he and two of his workers were attacked in their vehicle with assault rifles, can no longer be regarded merely as crime. TLU SA asks: Is this not a war? Farmers, their families, and workers can no longer perform their duties of working the land and producing food while constantly looking over their shoulders, knowing that at any moment they could become another victim of a terrorist attack or sabotage, like so many of their predecessors. Self-defence is no longer an option because law-abiding citizens of this country are held hostage by criminals, and the actions of the SAPS sometimes strengthen the hands of the criminals, who know they may never be convicted.

Since 2019, the government has failed to effectively implement the National Rural Safety Strategy. The severe injury of Oosthuizen, like many others, should not be dismissed as just another crime statistic. Here is a food producer taken out of action with severe financial losses, not to mention the trauma and hospitalisation that have permanently changed his life, all while the state remains absent.

Every commercial farmer's contribution to the country's food supply is critical. If a farmer is eliminated, the food supply for approximately 2,000 people is threatened. Any responsible government should know that commercial farmers are an indispensable asset that must be protected at all costs. Food on the table is surely the greatest strategic asset of any country, and without it, the country will come to a halt.

Voters have clearly indicated their dissatisfaction with the current government, especially regarding the poor security conditions. A new government of national unity must urgently step in because the current security conditions under which South Africa, and specifically our farmers and their workers, are suffering are unacceptable.

We urgently need an effective and responsible new minister of the SAPS who will show the political will to take his task seriously, cleanse the SAPS of corrupt elements, including criminals within its ranks, and ensure that the SAPS, through effective work, fulfils its civic responsibility to create a safe state where citizens can live and work. This minister's job is not to serve an ideology or handle crime with kid gloves.

While this statement focuses on farm attacks, we acknowledge that crime across the country is out of control and spares no one. The political will to address crime is largely absent. The government's constitutional responsibility to ensure crime prevention and combatting has been largely neglected for the past 30 years. South Africa's residents must consistently and purposefully make their voices heard about the poor crime management of the past three decades and call it out. Stop terror and sabotage and do not soften it to mere crime. This is much worse.

Issued by TLU SA, 26 June 2024