Mooi River farm murder: DA calls on KZN Agri MEC to hold emergency joint meeting

25 February 2020

Note to Editors: Please click here for a soundbite in English and isiZulu by Chris Pappas MPL.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is deeply disturbed by the confirmation of yet another farm murder in the province – this time in the Rosetta area, near Mooi River.

The incident, which took place during the early hours of this morning, saw a farmer shot dead and another person tied up. A number of possessions were stolen, including their vehicle which was later found abandoned.

The DA extends its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased and to the community at large.

The scourge of crime in our rural areas – and in particular the brutal attacks on farming communities - is out of control. Despite this, KZN Agriculture MEC, Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi continues to ignore the daily challenges being faced by these communities.

The DA has written to both the MEC and the Chairperson of KZN’s Agriculture portfolio committee on four different occasions, to request an urgent meeting to address the specific issue of rural safety. To date, we have received no response whatsoever.

We have also written to the MEC with a number of suggestions on how to improve safety in rural areas. The MEC has also failed to either acknowledge or respond to these communications.

It is unacceptable that the very MEC and portfolio committee which is supposed to address matters such as this remains silent. This is not only an issue of lives being lost – it is also one which affects food security and economic stability in our province.

It is on this basis that the DA has again written to the MEC today, calling for an urgent joint meeting between the province’s Agriculture and Community Safety portfolio committees.

We expect both she and the Chairperson respond within 24 hours of receiving the request. The DA will embark on a programme to engage with and mobilize farming communities and sector role players to find alternative ways to address this problem head-on.

Issued by Chris Pappas, DA KZN Spokesperson on Agriculture and Rural Development, 25 February 2020