Stop farm murders

THE ANC in the Western Cape is shocked by the murder of prominent strawberry farmer Jeffrey Zetler in Stellenbosch over the weekend.

We send our condolences to the entire Zetler family, colleagues at Agri Western Cape and the farming community of Stellenbosch.

The ANC views the farm murders in a very serious light and agrees with Agri Western Cape that this is one murder too many.

The ANC is extremely troubled by the statistician’s report early this year, which says “households in the Western Cape are more likely to be victims of crime than in any other province”.

The report continued that, “throughout the four-year period, the Western Cape has maintained the top position, having the highest proportion of households victimised by crime”.

What makes it even more difficult for farming households is their isolation and remoteness, rendering them an easy target for criminals.

We commend the work of the Stellenbosch Community Policing Forum in ensuring that there is a community layer of protection provided by the farming communities themselves. This explains why, as sad as this incident is, it is the first farm murder in the area this year, which speaks to their attempts to protect the community.

We call on our police department to provide more resources and police on the ground specifically to target the protection of households including a greater police visibility and patrols in remote farms all over the province.

These criminals must not have the last word. Faiez Jacobs ANC Provincial Secretary