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Following the murder of well-known Piketberg farmer, Hendrik Pistorius, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has reinforced its call for the devolution of policing powers to provinces in order to enable the Western Cape to immediately reinstate rural safety units.
Pistorius was allegedly murdered in the early morning on Wednesday, 3 August 2022, on a farm in Piket Bo-Berg, 30 kilometers outside Piketberg in the Western Cape. The 53-year-old farmer’s body was found partially covered with a bin and he had suffered head injuries.
DA CONDEMNS MURDER OF PIKETBERG FARMER
Hendrik Pistorius was reportedly a well-known and respected member of the community.
The DA said the farming communities are extremely vulnerable and, since the South African Police Service (SAPS) is critically under-staffed and therefore not able to protect these communities, it is imperative that rural safety units be reinstated as a matter of urgency.
DA leader in the Western Cape Tertius Simmers said they cannot continue down a path that only leads to more killings, more violence, and more blood.
Simmers said government needs to acknowledge that they simply cannot run an effective police service and that they are incapable of providing viable solutions that will make vulnerable communities safer.
“SAPS needs to be devolved as a matter of urgency to allow provinces to manage their own police service.”
Tertius Simmers
Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister, Thoko Didiza, also condemned the murder of Pistorius.
called on police to do whatever it takes to apprehend the perpetrators of this gruesome act, as soon as possible.
“The killing of farmers and farm workers has a negative impact on the agricultural sector. I wish to call for the improved relationships between farmers, farm workers, neighbouring communities and the police in order to put a stop to these senseless killings,” Didiza said.