Third West Rand smallholding attack on Afrikaners: engaged couple critically injured

Adriana Stuijt's "journalism during apartheid "site ^ | 12-08-02 | staff

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Farm News from 11/2002: (3 new messages)

Farm News from 11/2002:

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Message 13 in Discussion

From: AdrianaStuijt

Hùge farm attack death rate led to murder of woodgatherer:

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/Gauteng/0,1113,2-7-829_1280825,00.html
The high incidence of deadly farm attacks in Bronkhorstspruit by young African males had created such an overwhelming fear of all unknown Africans that this fear had led to the murder of a tresspassing African wood-gatherer on a farm there last year.

Psychologist Jacobus Francois Truter testified that 23-year-old farmer Jan Vermeulen had worked and lived in great fear on his farm and had been very security-conscious and terrified for the safety of his family due to the huge number of violence-driven stock thefts and 33 farm murders that year in the Bronkhorstspruit area, which all had been carried out by young African males.

 

Vermeulen pleaded guilty to a charge of murdering wood-gatherers Simon Makhabitshane and assaulting Joseph Nkosi on his father's farm at Leeufontein.

 

The psychologist told the Pretoria High Court that Vermeulen had been become terrified for his family, and very security-conscious due to the 33 deadly farm attacks which had occurred that year -- and all of which had been carried out by young African males.

 

The psychologist said Vermeulen therefore, and accurately, "saw black people as being responsible for farm murders and stock thefts". Vermeulen also suspected that strangers who were gathering wood could well be carrying out reconnaissance of the farm to plan future crimes. Farm security experts often warn farmers to be on the lookout for such strangers.

• Click here to see some known names of murder victims of farm attacks in 2001 :

Truter said Vermeulen had shown remorse for his action - and is also deeply concerned about the fate of his elderly parents, who had received death threats and would probably lose ownership of the farm.

 

Vermeulen had also written letters to the victims -- Nkosi and Makhabitshane's families -- begging forgiveness.

 

He said Vermeulen was not an inherently violent person and had not been poli

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Message 11 in Discussion

From: AdrianaStuijt

Third West Rand smallholding attack on Afrikaners: engaged couple critically injured

• killed: 3 Dec: Jacobus Louis la Grange, 82, Krugersdorp smallholding
• killed: 29 Nov: Hennie and Dawn Meyer, (both 65), Constantiakloof smallholding

by Annie Olivier - Beeld - Dec 5 2002 -- An Afrikaner engaged couple were shot and are in critical condition at Flora Clinic after they were shot at a Little Falls, Honeydew smallholding.

Police spokeswoman Capt. Paula Nothnagel said the injured 26-year-old man -- thus far unnamed --  had been visiting his parents and went to investigate a noise at 3:30am.

He confronted and was shot in the back by an armed man during a struggle.

 

His girlfriend was shot in the chest as she came out of the bedroom door. Their names have not been released by police.
The man escaped through a window and is still at large. As with the two previous attacks on West Rand smallholdings these past two weeks, nothing was robbed.

The armed man had gained entry by forcing open the barred front door.

This is the third attack on West Rand smallholdings within the past two weeks.
On Monday,  Jacobus Louis la Grange (82) of Krugersdorp was murdered.
Last weekend,  Hennie Meyer (65) and his wife Dawn (65) of Constantiakloof were killed execution-style inside their home.

• http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Randse_Beeld/0,4127,3-68_1293998,00.html

No more ferry on UMTAMVUNA river after blast   05 Dec 2002 17:02 
BOEREMAG INFRASTRUCTURE "DESTROYED": GOVT   05 Dec 2002 16:40 

• http://www.sapa.org.za/

'State using Boeremag raids as smoke screen'
December 4 2002 - The Transvaal Agricultural Union (TAU) accused government on Wednesday of staging an "onslaught" against farmers on the pretext of hunting for members of the militant rightwing group Boeremag.

TAU president Gert Ehlers, referr

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Message 12 in Discussion

From: AdrianaStuijt

Police farm attack statistics " seriously flawed" -- admits top cop at Human Rights Commission

by Ainsley Moos of Beeld newspaper
Dec 6 2002 -- Farm attacks are increasing more each year. Victims are farmers, workers and their families of all races.

This was testified on Thursday before the Human Rights Commission's countrywide hearings about abuse on farms.

 

All the country's civil servants who head government departments were subpoenaed to testify this week about their specific programmes to enforce human rights on farms and smallholdings.
 
Police commander Johan Burger -- who is in charge of countrywide operational coordination for rural safety -- testified that police statistics for farm attacks were "incomplete because not all these incidents are reported to us (by local-level police stations)."

He said in spite of their admittedly flawed statistics, the police nevertheless are fully aware of the fact that armed attacks against unarmed people working on farms and smallholdings have risen sharply especially since 1997.

He said these (flawed) police statistics still reveal a chilling picture of the dangerous conditions under which the country's farmers have to produce food for the country's 46-million people:

• 144 deaths in 2000 -- during the year 2000, they registered 906 farm attacks - during which 144 people were murdered.
• 111 deaths 9 months of 2001 -- From January to September 2001, there were 723 attacks -- duiring which 111 people were murdered.
• 80 deaths Jan to Sept 2002 -- And while the year 2002 statistics are not yet available - the (pro-ANC) agricultural lobby group Agri-SA's statistics show that at least 80 people were murdered during 680 farm attacks between January and August this year.
• Burger did not quote the statistics from the Transvaal Agricultural Union, which are even higher, however.

He testified that the police " cannot rely only on their own statistics to formulate policies" and are thus also forced to peruse and incorporate crime victims' admission rates at hospitals and clinics: " because the police cannot accept that we are notified of every incident."

Adv. Leon Wessels of the Human Rights Commission said the government's report on the causes of farm attacks,

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Message 13 in Discussion

From: AdrianaStuijt

16 December Day of the Vow celebrations:

• Many Boer communities are going to debate Article 11, UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees the "right of every member of the human family to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which one has had all the guarantees necessary for a defence." Their schedule follows.

16 DESEMBER GELOFTEDAG

GESAMENTLIKE EREDIENS in Brakpan om 08:00 te Gereformeerde Kerk Brakpan
H/v Bekker- en Schuttestrate, Dalview Prediker:  Ds Braam Kruger 
Burgersdorp Geloftefeeskomitee
Prediker: Ds. Richard vd Westhuizen
Spreker: Mnr. Jan Moller
Kontak persoon: Ds. Faan Visser    018-632 3493
 
Lichtenburg Geloftefeeskomitee
Prediker: Ds Faan Visser
Spreker: Prof. Verschoor
Kontak persoon: Mnr. Christo van Dyk  018-632 3493
                         Mnr. Jan du Toit         083 627 4402
 
KURUMAN: Daar is ‘n Geloftenaweek in Kuruman vanaf Vrydag 13 Desember tot Maandag 16 Desember.  Volledige akkomodasie asook kamp-fasaliteite is beskikbaar.  Die gelofte-diens sal Maandag gelei word deur ds. Gert Steenkamp.
Vir verdure navrae skakel Ina by telefoonnommer 053 712 1895 of Hannetjie by
053 712 1006

KOSTER / ZEERUST: Geloftedagviering vind plaas op Maandag 16 Desember by die Bokkraal feesterein geleë op die grondpad tussen Koster en Zeerust.  Verrigtinge begin om kwart-voor-tien.  Die ere-diens sal gelei word deur ds LH Stavasthvan Potchefstroom en die geloftefeesrede sal gelei word deur doctor TFJ Dreyer.   Na afloop van die fees word almal uitgenooi om gratis middagete saam te geniet.  Vir navrae skakel meneer Evert du Preez by telefoonnmmer 014 543 9010 of Phillip van der Merwe by 014 262 1931.

BRONKHORSTPRUIT: Die Welverdiend Voortrekkervereniging van Bronkhorstspruit bied ‘n geloftefees aan op Maandag 16 Desember.  Die vlaghysingseremonie begin om kwart voor nege en die erediens sal gelei word deur ds Stavast van Bronkhorstspruit.  Meneer AJ de Beer van Pretoria tree op as spreker.  Die terein is sowat sewe kilometer buite Bronkhorstspruit geleë op die Vlakfonteinpad.  Vir meer besonderhede kan die voorsitter, meneer Anré Swart, by nommer 082 862 6980 of meneer Neels Phol by nommer 082 335 0896 geskakel word.

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Thanks for looking. The silence of the media- press & entertainment divisions- is telling.