DA commends swift police and community response to farm attack

29 July 2020

Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbites in English & Afrikaans from Grantham Steenkamp, MPL. 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape commends the South African Police Service (SAPS), in conjunction with all role players including the Hartswater community, for successfully apprehending five suspects believed to be involved in the fatal farm attack on Danie, Breggie and Elzabie Brand.

We especially appreciate the diligence and determination of the Vaalharts Community Safety Unit and the speedy response of the local SAPS, after they received the alert late on Monday afternoon, in ensuring that no stone was left unturned in hunting down the perpetrators of this heinous crime. The joint efforts and contribution of all role players have ensured that the five suspects were captured and the bodies of the victims were recovered. We trust that, as investigations unfold, they will be conducted with similar professionalism and due diligence.

The DA remains deeply concerned about the spike in farm attacks across the country, as well as the brutality of these attacks.

In order to stem the tide, the country requires political leadership to acknowledge and condemn farm attacks that affect farmers, farm workers, family members and rural communities. That is why the DA this week launched its #StopFarmAttacks websites which can be accessed here: stopplaasaanvalle.co.za or stopfarmattacks.co.za. Members of the public are urged to sign an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa on the website, calling on him to address the plight of farmers and farming communities.

Political will is essential if we are to ensure an all-round dedicated and coordinated response to escalating farm attacks, like the response we witnessed in and around Hartswater over the past few days. The police, alongside CPFs, rural safety forums and neighbourhood watches, need to be better capacitated and supported, to be able to change their approach from reactionary to preventative.

The DA will continue lobbying for the safety of farmers and the farming community. We cannot tolerate the brutality that those responsible for putting bread on our tables, are increasingly being subjected to.

Issued by Grantham Steenkamp, DA Constituency Head of Diamond North, 29 July 2020