Accused of genocide for covering up grisly murder scenes of white farmers in the past, spanning from 1994 to 2012, South Africa continues to deny such allegations. As new reports are being published providing us with recent attacks in detailed information. It appears more ‘racially motivated attacks against white farmers’ still continues to this present day.
Last month in February 2017, on a remote farm in Dullstroom, a small town in the northeast of South Africa, about 150 miles from the nearest capital city. A British woman named Sue Howarth, 64 and her husband Robert Lynn, 66, were disturbed at 2am. They awoke to three men in balaclavas breaking into a window of their home.
I woke up because the dogs were barking and there was a racket at the bedroom window. After I stood up, I heard glass breaking. I suppose that is when they started shooting at us. I assumed they missed, Mr Lynn said.
The couple native to the area for 20 years were then, still in their pyjamas loaded up in their own truck, driven to a roadside where they were dumped off and shot.
One of the unidentified men wearing balaclavas hit Mr. Lynn over the head with his gun and ordered him to lie down. His hands were bound with baling twine.
Lynn continued, “They kept on asking where the money is. I told them that we don’t keep money but they would not believe me.”
He handed his attackers a money clip and his bank cards telling them they would be able to withdraw R1,000 a day from his accounts, plus the couple of hundred Rand he had in the money clip.
Lynn was then taken into the living room, covered with a blanket and shortly after his attackers began burning his legs and chest. The robbers began stabbing and cutting him with a knife to get him to confess more information they thought he was hiding.
They were looking for things we just don’t have. I said to them that whoever gave them their information, gave them the wrong information. One of them replied with ‘No they didn’t. Lynn stated.
Still calling to his wife who did not answer, Lynn was smacked over the head with a gun and told to shut up. He was then put into the back of their Nissan Hardbody double cab, where they pulled a bag over his head. Lynn finally heard his wife Susan, moaning as she was thrown into the back as well.
At first Lynn thought they were driving to Dullstroom to withdraw money. However they turned around and headed towards the back roads past Belfast and Siyathuthuka towards Stoffberg instead.
They kept on stopping and going. When they stopped for good, they pulled me out of the vehicle by my hair. continued Lynn.
The attackers then walked him into a field where he had to crawl through a barbed wire fence and was ordered onto his knees.
That was the last thing I remember. I thought I was dead after that until I looked up and saw the stars. Lynn said.
It took quite some time before Mr. Lynn could free himself and crawl back to the road. When Lynn was successful at freeing himself he crawled to the road where he could hear Susan moaning. He crawled across the ditch to the other side and found her lying there, hands tied behind her back and bleeding from the head.
I didn’t know what to do. I could see that she was in a very bad state. I could sit with her but the best thing would be to try and get help. So I stood next to the road. Five trucks and two cars passed me. Hooting as they did. Mr. Lynn said.
Miraculously, Lynn survived and managed to wave down someone passing by. Howarth, who police said was “unrecognizable” from her injuries, had multiple skull fractures, gunshot wounds and “horrific” burns to her breasts.
Howarth also had a bag stuffed down her throat. How she managed to survive that long, breathing with a bag in her throat remains a mystery. She was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support. Sadly, two days later at 9:30am, Tuesday morning, Susan Howarth passed away from her injuries never regaining consciousness after the attack.
Susan was a great girl. She imported ingredients for pharmaceutical products, like the active ingredient in Guronzan C. Said Mr. Flynn
Lynn has since returned home, to deal with the sadness and mourn the loss of his best friend and is trying to pick up the pieces in Dullstroom.
He says that he was amazed at how good people have been to him. But he will never be able to forget what evil people are capable of.
Attacks such as this and others being reporter are horrific and unfathomable. But in South Africa, attacks of this nature are frequent. So far, this year, there has been over an estimated amount of 70 attacks and approximately 25 murders in similar attacks against white farmers.
Another attack earlier this month, a woman named Nicci Simpson was found, along with three dead dogs. Simpson was found lying in a pool of blood, where the attackers “used a drill to torture her.” Police spokesman Lungelo Dlamini stated.
As more and more attacks continue to happen in South Africa, the government and law enforcement agencies continue to deny such allegations of a potential genocide that is manifesting.
A Wikipedia link on the ‘South African Farm Attacks,’ provides further information below:
Between 1994 and March 2012, there had been 361,015 murders in all of South Africa. Between 1990 and March 2012, there had been 1,544 murders on South African farms of which 208 of the victims were black. Many white farmers perceive these attacks to be racially motivated. Fact Checking organisation Africa Check has stated that black and coloured farm owners account for less than 38.4% of victims of farm attacks, while accounting for 89% of South Africa’s population. Although definitive statistics on the race of farm owners are not available, estimates suggest that, for example, only some 2.96% of farms in the Free State Province are “black-owned”, regardless of the proportion of South Africans who are Black. Johan Burger of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) has stated that attacks were not motivated by race but by greed. Moreover, the South African Police Service has declared that there is no evidence of organised attacks. The disbandment of the predominantly rural South African Commando System has been linked to the escalating level of farm attacks.
Media reports from 2011 state that approximately 3,158 – 3,811 South African farmers have been murdered in these attacks. However, self-reported data from the Transvaal Agricultural Union state that 1,544 people were killed in farm attacks from 1990 to 2012.
In 2012, Reuters reported that the number of the farmers of European descent had decreased by a third since 1997, citing news headlines about farm killings as an incentive to sell.
In 2001, A Committee of Inquiry into Farm Attacks was appointed by the National Commissioner of Police. The purpose was to “inquire into the ongoing spate of attacks on farms, which include violent criminal acts such as murder, robbery, rape, etc, to determine the motives and factors behind these attacks and to make recommendations on their findings.
- Monetary theft occurred in 31.2% of the attacks, firearms were stolen in 23.0%, and 16.0% of farm attacks involved vehicular thefts. The committee noted that “there is a common misconception that in a large proportion of farm attacks little is stolen” and “various items are stolen in by far the greater majority of cases, and, in those cases where nothing is taken, there is almost always a logical explanation, such as that the attackers had to leave quickly because help arrived.”
The Wikipedia link goes further explaining:
The Natives’ Land Act adopted in 1913, awarded the ownership of 87 percent of land to South Africans of European descent. The modern discontent among the black South Africans has caused the populists to call for a confiscation of white-owned farms in the north. The EFF party, founded by Julius Malema, demanded redistribution of the land and wealth.
Although the government believes that biggest motive for attacks is robbery, there is racial discontent on some farms. White farmers believe that attacks are racially motivated.”
Police have stated that they cannot provide effective protection due to the large geographical areas that need to be monitored. A lack of funding is another factoring cause, they also claimed.
Examples of voluntary associations between locals can be found as a solution moving forward. ‘Farmwatch’ groups have linked together through radio to nearby farmers who can provide mutual assistance. Private security companies and Commando volunteers are good examples as they are more likely to respond and be on site quicker.
Local voluntary groups that come together for mutual assistance and protection stand a far better chance at combatting against these attacks. The South African Government continues to deny allegations of this genocide. Police forces are simply not available due to funding and fail at providing any sufficient help, currently.
The post South Africa – Accused Of Covering Up Genocide of White Farmers appeared first on We Are Change.
from We Are Change https://wearechange.org/south-africa-accused-of-covering-up-genocide-of-white-farmers/
No comments:
Post a Comment