White farmers gather at the court house in Senekal, Free State. Photo: Facebook
Racial tension in South Africa soars after white farmers confront police
A clearly rattled Thandi Modise, speaker in the South African National Assembly (NA), on Thursday called on members of parliament to defuse the increasing racial tension in South Africa.
Published: October 9, 2020, 10:23 am
Senekal
Thandi Modise. Wikipedia
“I do not think any of us want to see any worse racial tension in the country. We must therefore really start to speak out against it and fight for South Africa in order to survive all these things,” she told members of parliament.
Modise’s reprimand followed after the opposition party, the DA complained about Julius Malema, the EFF leader, and another EFF MP, Nazier Paulsen, to the parliamentary ethics committee after statements inciting violence against the minority white population.
Farmers outside the court had gathered in a show of solidarity after the terrible murder of young Brendin Horner recently.
Malema had said on Twitter that the EFF’s “ground forces” would be present with the next court appearance of the murder suspects. He concluded his message with: “Fighters attack!”
Paulsen also tweeted a photo of a machine gun on Tuesday with a caption that read: “I can’t wait!”
Ek kan nie wag nie… pic.twitter.com/Ibegk9trJL
— Nazier Paulsen (@NazierPaulsen) October 7, 2020
A police vehicle was overturned by the angry crowd when the police tried to fire at farmers with live ammunition. The vehicle later caught fire. The police van had also tried to run over a woman and her two children present at the gathering. Photo: FWM
The DA said the messages were a blatant attempt by the EFF’s leadership to incite further violence”. The two murder accused will reportedly not appear in the local Magistrate’s Court again, but possibly be moved to Bloemfontein after the police fired shots at farmers but were pushed back by an angry white crowd.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development also said in a media statement that the court building was closed until Monday due to the damage caused on Tuesday.
André Pienaar, the farmer who was arrested on Wednesday for his alleged part in Tuesday’s push-back, is expected to apply for bail. He has been charged with public violence and malicious damage to property.
Emotions have reached a boiling point, because the farmers say the police have been helping the attackers. When the police fired live ammunition at the gathering, a group of white farmers pushed back an anti-riot armored personnel carrier, a Nyala, with their bare hands. Photo: FWM
A group of white farmers marched on the courthouse on Tuesday, following a speech by Pienaar, where two black suspects Sekwetje Esaiah Mahlamba and Sekola Piet Matlaletsa appeared in connection with the murder of white farm manager Horner (22) a week before.
Annette Steyn and Dianne Kohler Barnard, two DA MPs, said in a joint statement on Thursday that the push-back in Senekal clearly shows farm murders and attacks have driven emotions to a boiling point.
According to white Free State farmers, there are “an average of 50 cruel, life-changing attacks per month on farms”.
They believe it should soon be classified as a priority and hate crime, otherwise “we South Africans could become a begging bowl for food together with Zimbabwe”.
Horner’s employer, Gilly Scheepers, meanwhile appointed a private detective to assist in the investigation. The detective, Pieter Swanepoel, did not want to comment on whether there were other suspects. Sources have told FWM that the suspects had worked together with the police to plan the murder.
The current suspects are believed to be well-known cattle thieves in the area and have clashed with the law before. Farmers also believe that the stock thieves have been working together with police officers. One of the suspects’ brothers-in-law is apparently a police officer.
The farmers have demanded that corrupt police officers and stock theft syndicates be handed over to special police investigators, the Hawks.
In the mainstream media, fake news is being spread about the protest: It was reported that the farmers shot at the police and that white farmers occupy “70 percent” of all agricultural land in the country. The fact is that more than 70 percent of black tribal land – the finest agricultural land – is in the hands of blacks.
All rights reserved. You have permission to quote freely from the articles provided that the source (www.freewestmedia.com) is given. Photos may not be used without our consent.
Consider donating to support our work
Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.
Keep your language polite. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in, for example, Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.
If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violations of any law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.
If your comments are subject to preview by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.
We reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.
Africa
South Africa’s infrastructure 30 years after the end of Apartheid
LondonHating South Africa was part of growing up in North London in the 1980s. Pelle Taylor and Patrick Remington from Two Raven Films, recently interviewed South Africans about the decline of the country after Apartheid ended.
Nigerian President: More weapons for Ukraine end up in Africa
LagosSome time ago, FWM reported on arms deliveries to Ukraine, which shortly afterwards were resold on the Internet. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that "weapons used in the war in Ukraine are gradually leaking into the region" and called for strengthened border security.
Namibia sees opportunity to attract German energy refugees
Windhoek"The former German colony, Namibia wants to help Germany in its energy crisis". This is how an article in the online edition of a German newspaper recently began about Namibia's new "Digital Nomad" visa. The six-month visa is ideal for long-term holidaymakers. And for professionals who have their office on their laptop and can work from anywhere.
Uneven global population growth reaches 8 billion
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), we celebrated the 8 billionth day* on November 15. The planet's population is still increasing dramatically, albeit at a decreasing pace.
French fuel debacle spills over to Senegal
DakarThe recent events at the French embassy in Burkina Faso were yet another demonstration against France on the African continent after France was ousted from Mali. All it took was a rumour to attract the sympathy of the population and demonstrators to head to the French Embassy.
New South African drone to compete with Turkey’s Bayraktar
PretoriaThe South African defense company Milkor unveiled its Milkor 380 reconnaissance and attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It is expected to become a competitor to Turkey's Bayraktar and Anka drones.
Bucking the trend: Uganda bans work by LGBT group
KampalaThe Ugandan government has banned the activities of a local non-governmental organization that campaigns for the rights of sexual minorities. According to a senior official, the organization worked illegally in the African country.
South Africa: 82 suspects arrested after a mass rape
KrugersdorpDozens of black men ambushed a film crew at an abandoned mine near Johannesburg on Friday. They raped eight models between the ages of 19 and 35. As they fled, the police shot dead two suspects and 82 other people were arrested.
BRICS expansion on the cards
More and more emerging countries are considering joining the BRICS group, which is seen as the major emerging countries' counterweight to the US-led West and the G7. Especially in times like these, this is also a clear signal to Washington.
