A farm house in Coligny was torched, photographer attacked and a confrontation ensued between the protesters and farmers on Monday afternoon, after two farmers accused of the murder of a teenage, were granted bail. Picture: ANA Reporter
The appalling events unfolding over the death of a teenage boy in the North West province maize town of Coligny have chilled the country to the bone.
The facts of the case against 26-year-old Pieter Doorewaard and Phillip Schutte, 34, have still to be fully tested by the courts, following the pair allegedly catching 16-year-old Matlhomola Mosweu stealing sunflowers on April 20.
The tragic incident has divided a largely rural community, officially numbered at a little over 2 000 people, along strict racial lines – black against white – with homes torched, reporters attacked and raw hatred the order of the day.
It is a frightening microcosm of the thin layer of unhealthy mistrust between the races that lies between our still nascent democracy and the fast-fanned flames of anarchy.
The divides of language, culture and unfulfilled expectations sadly still exist and are willing fuel for the flames of naked racism this country can ill afford.
The forces of law and order and the justice system need to minutely examine what has led to the sickening violence of the confrontation between the citizens in Coligny.
If this is not done as a matter of urgency, we are all in dire trouble.
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