Farm murder 'court watch' unit launched

The recent killing of a blind farmer in Alexandria near Port Elizabeth has prompted the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) to launch a provincial court-watching briefs unit in the Eastern Cape, aimed at assisting farm attack victims and putting perpetrators behind bars. According to a report in The Herald, DA MP Annette Steyn said the murder of Chrisjan van Niekerk (76) late last month was the first case that the unit would pursue. A radio station has since reported that two men, aged 23 and 16, have been arrested for the murder. ‘The situation in our rural areas is now at crisis point, with a sharp rise in terrible attacks and murders in June and July,’ Steyn said. ‘The horrific triple homicide in the Northern Cape a week ago has shaken the farming community nationwide.’ She said the most recent crime statistics indicated that the Eastern Cape was one of the most dangerous provinces for farmers, with 12 murders being committed in 11 incidents on farms and smallholdings. The initiative had been introduced by the Department of Community Safety in the DA-led Western Cape to act in accordance with the provisions contained in Section 206 (3) of the Constitution, which provided that every province was entitled to monitor police conduct and report inefficiencies, she said.