farmer Limpopo

A 36-year-old farmer was shot dead during a robbery at his farm in Limpopo. Image via Adobe Stock

FF Plus warns that agricultural communities will ‘fight farm attacks with fire’

The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) said in a statement on Wednesday, 8 July, that the “agricultural communities will fight farm attacks with fire”.

farmer Limpopo

A 36-year-old farmer was shot dead during a robbery at his farm in Limpopo. Image via Adobe Stock

Fanie du Toit, FF Plus MP in the North West, confirmed that party tabled a motion without notice in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) to point out that “farm attacks, murders and illegal land occupations are on the rise”.

In addition, the FF Plus believes that “some politicians are inciting racialism, division and polarisation in South Africa”. Du Toit also expressed dismay that President Cyril Ramahposa fails to “take a stance against farm attacks and murders”.

“As was the case with transit heists and gang violence, there exists an urgent need for farm attacks and murders to be declared a priority crime. Agricultural communities will no longer be the victims and will fight fire with fire within the constraints of the law.”

FF Plus

FF Plus: ‘Fighting fire with fire’

Earlier this month, the FF Plus said in a statement that “the agricultural community must prepare to fight fire with fire, within the constraints of the law”. The party claims that a farm attack “is no ordinary crime, but organised crime”.

Party leader Pieter Groenewald claims that four farm murders in the space of ten days is evidence of that fact. However, according to the latest statistics, 58 people are murdered every day in South Africa, on average.

It would appear that the FF Plus believes 580 murders in the space of ten days should be classified as “ordinary crime”, and deserve less attention than four farm murders during the same time frame.

“For a long time, the FF Plus has been seriously concerned by the President’s silence and lack of action from the government’s side regarding the matter of farm attacks and the party has frequently called on the President to respond and take action.”

‘Intensified campaign’ against farm murders

In other news, AfriForum announced “an intensified campaign against farm murders” on Wednesday and directed an open letter to the president, demanding him to intervene in the matter.

The letter includes a 10-point plan containing steps that the government “should take”. It will be followed up by an “intensified awareness campaign in which stories of farm attack victims are related.”

Back in December, when the issue of gender-based violence began making headlines, the FF Plus accused Ramaphosa and the ANC of using gender-based violence “as a cheap political ploy”.

At the time, Ramaphosa announced that funds totalling R1.6 billion would be allocated to fight against gender-based violence. The party felt slighted that the same “fanfare” wasn’t awarded to the agricultural community.

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