We are saddened by the senseless attack on a father and daughter on a farm on the far West Rand on Monday, 20 May.
The pair were preparing to leave for school when they were attacked on their property. The father’s bakkie was stolen but later recovered in Bekkersdal.
It is alarming that when reporting the incident to the police, a police member opening the case refused to categorise the crime as a farm attack, insisting rather that this should be classified as common assault.
The DA has, over a number of years, insisted that rural safety units be established to deal with the unprecedented number of attacks on people living on farms, smallholdings and in rural areas.
For this reason we will table the Community Safety Bill, which will see the functions of the MEC for Safety strengthened. The Bill will provide for new ways of monitoring, overseeing and assessing policing at provincial level, and to this end, a Provincial Police Ombudsman.
During this new term of office, we will ensure that through this Bill, these units become a reality and that those who live outside of urban centres are afforded the safety and security they deserve.
