An elderly couple, 70, were murdered recently during a brutal farm attack near Westonaria.
Captain Appel Ernst, Randfontein Police spokesperson said the victims were found in their home in Poortjie, Jachtfontein by their workers on Friday, 13 January.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has spoken out about the incident and once again called for the establishment of a specialised rural safety unit within the police.
Annette Steyn, DA spokesperson for agriculture, forestry and fisheries made a statement on the Sunday following the couple’s murder.
In the statement she said police have noted 49 farm murders during the past year while according to TAU SA, an organisation for commercial farmers in South Africa, the number is as high as 72.
“Violent crime across South Africa needs to be tackled head-on so that everybody could live in peace, safe in the knowledge that the government is doing everything possible to ensure their safety,” she said.
Steyn also brought up a report compiled and released by the South African Human Rights Commission late in 2015.
The report found that law-enforcement agencies such as the police as well as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) should step up their involvement in combating crimes against farming communities. It was also recommended that the police should submit periodic progress reports on crime in farming communities to them.
In addition, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform should provide a policy brief on the current status of land tenure in farming communities to establish the standard of housing delivered to farm workers and dwellers.
Lastly, she said the report indicated that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development should include farming communities in Promotion of the Rights of the Vulnerable Groups (PRVG) programme.
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Also read:
Farm murders and attacks rise again
Couple brutally murdered on farm named
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