South African Crime Victim’s Friend: “When Will Enough Be Enough?”

Dave McFarland was just another typical South African. Nicknamed Dawie, he was loved and adored by his friends, family and colleagues at Boehringer Ingelheim. And tragically he has become yet another typical SA crime statistic, a murder that’s not even shocking and unusual enough anymore to make national news.

Two armed robbers broke into his home in Douglasdale, near Fourways, on 4th February – just two days short of his 42nd birthday – and he was shot and died in his kitchen, according to family friend Patrizia Schwartz.

She says the criminals fled with laptops and phones (and a police report also mentions an attempted hijacking). Fortunately the rest of the family that was home were unharmed. But this too has become a normal habit in South Africa – when someone is held up but survives we say “he was lucky they didn’t kill him”. And when someone is killed, we say how fortunate the others were. But really, it’s not lucky to be held up. And it’s not fortunate to have your loved one killed.

Today Patrizia sent the following message to the SAPeople community:

“When is enough going to be enough and when are we, South Africans, going to say ‘no more!’?

“Like most South Africans, I have known people who have been affected by the outrageous crime in our country… but never until now has it been so close to ‘home’. And for the first time I am reeling from the death of a loved one and the extreme hurt, shock and horror of what this has done, and will continue to do, for those affected.

“It was a normal and everyday kind of night for them – of family, of laughing, talking and cooking dinner together…until it came to an abrupt end by some scum of the earth, people who shot and killed a very loved lifetime partner, father, step-father, son, brother, uncle and friend to so many in what should have been the safety of their own home…

“I wish I had words enough to express my extreme heartache for Hazel, Devyn and the rest of the family.

“Dave will be laid to rest today but his family will suffer the consequences for the rest of their lives.”

Douglasdale police and the Community Policing Forum (CPF) held a community information session in the district, a few days after the murder, in which they stressed the importance of taking care of one’s safety when at home – including having a panic button, locking doors in the evening, checking alarm systems are properly activated, and ensuring any workers on your property have legal identity documents (to prevent inside jobs).

Investigations are still ongoing in the case.

#EnoughIsEnough