Below is a note published by TAU SA
TAU SA is going to seek judicial definition on “reasonable person” acts during farm attacks
TAU SA’s Safety Committee held an emergency meeting in Pretoria to address the unacceptable level of violent crime on farms and agricultural holdings.
Farm attacks and murders showed a sharp increase in the last month and so far 62 people have been murdered in farm attacks this year. During November seven people were killed on farms, while TAU SA is aware of 31 farm attacks. So far five people have been murdered on farms during December and 18 farm attacks have been reported.
TAU SA demands that the political leadership of the country, particularly the President and his cabinet, express themselves clearly and condemn and reject this situation in unequivocal terms. “It is unacceptable that the government does not display real concern to improve the safety and security of the country’s primary food producers,” said Mr Henry Geldenhuys, Deputy President of TAU SA and chairman of the Safety and Security Committee. He said the involvement of foreigners, especially Zimbabweans, in violent crimes is a serious concern.
“TAU SA is considering a variety of actions to focus public and international attention on the plight of farm workers, the extraordinary brutal nature of the crimes and in many cases and the unsatisfactory response from the police.
“In addition to the immediate tightening of security measures, TAU SA is planning to seek legal advice regarding what could be regarded as actions of ‘the reasonable person’ under such circumstances or when a real threat of violent crime exists, as well as to what extent the actions of such criminals could be classified as ‘terrorism'”, says Mr Geldenhuys.
He also called on farmers to be on high alert during the festive season.
