🇿🇦The Citizen·7 hours ago
Activists call for police action on farm attacks after murder in Tshwane
Members of the Lusthof community, north of Pretoria, are mobilizing against farm attacks and murders following the killing of a farmer on Monday morning. Farm crime activist Petrus Sitho has urged for immediate intervention and invited residents and acting police minister Firoz Cachalia to a safety meeting on June 13 to discuss the ongoing violence. Tshwane district SA Police Service spokesperson Captain Johan van Dyk confirmed that police responded to a house robbery and murder at a smallholding in Hammanskraal, where a 69-year-old white male was found with multiple gunshot wounds to the head. Preliminary investigations indicate that three male suspects entered the main house, tied up the deceased's brother, and then shot the farmer when he opened his room door. The suspects stole household and garden items, fleeing in a silver Volkswagen Passat. No arrests have been made, and investigations are ongoing. AfriForum community safety spokesperson Jacques Broodryk highlighted the government's silence on the 10 farm attacks and related violent incidents reported in May, emphasizing that the high levels of violence necessitate recognizing farm attacks as a unique and serious crime. Broodryk noted that victims, including farm workers, have been assaulted, tied up, and shot, with several attacks thwarted by local security and community safety structures.