AfriForum to Meet Police Chief Over Farm Murders

AfriForum will meet with the South African chief of police on Wednesday to discuss a strategy to deal with farm murders in South Africa, according to the civil rights organisation.

AfriForum said it would meet with Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane, the acting national police commissioner, to discuss the manner in which farm murders can be prioritised and how AfriForum can contribute.

“This follows Lt. Gen. Phahlane’s remark in the media earlier this year that farm murders should enjoy greater priority,” it said.

“AfriForum plans not only to make suggestions to Lt. Gen. Phahlane, but to also hand over a petition of more than 100,000 disgruntled members who demand that farm murders be prioritised,” said Ernst Roets, Deputy CEO of AfriForum.

Roets was quoted in the media saying that “We are confident that cooperation between AfriForum and the South African Police Service will make an invaluable contribution towards the fight against farm murders.”

In a statement last year Afriforum said over 1,700 people on farms had been murdered since 1990: “Statistics show that 1,747 farm murders and 3,542 attacks took place between 1990 and midyear 2015. Out of the 1,747 murder victims 1,133 were farmers, 465 direct family members, 130 farm workers and 19 visitors. This year alone 27 murders and 116 attacks took place by end of June 2015.”