PROTESTING FARM KILLINGS
"The whole of South Africa is getting up now and standing up now as well." Ian Smith
Despite being half a world away, Ian Smith still feels the pain of his home over a spate of farm killings.
On Monday evening a group of about 50 people in black shirts walked from New Plymouth’s East End Beach to the Wind Wand to raise awareness of the murders of farmers taking place in South Africa.
They finished with a moment of silence and prayers for South Africa.
‘‘So far away it does touch us, it does touch me. It does stir up something within you,’’ Smith said. ‘‘We’ve still got family living there as well.’’
He said Auckland held a similar ‘Black Monday’ march on Sunday and the walks were also taking place in South Africa.
‘‘It’s now the 30th, in the morning in South Africa, so that’s the day they’re doing it there as well.’’
In Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg convoys of hundreds of slow moving trucks and cars brought traffic to a crawl on highways leading from farming areas.
The protests, mostly by white farmers, have been peaceful and the South African police have accompanied the demonstrators.
He said there had already been 63 murders this year, and 177 attacks. They wore black because it was the colour of mourning.
‘‘Hopefully it will create a bit of awareness. The whole of South Africa is getting up now and standing up now as well.’’
There were a few more people than he expected, and most of the walkers were from South Africa, Smith said.
‘‘I’ve mostly heard Afrikaans speaking at the moment.’’