Urgent action is needed to prevent lawlessness regarding farm attacks and land reform

A FEW days ago, I listened to an AfriForum press conference saying that farmers should be armed to protect themselves and their families from criminals because the police do not have the ability to help them; in my view, this is understandable but anomalous with the rule of law.

Our hard-earned democracy should always be protected and no one can be a law unto themselves. If our criminal justice system is silent on this matter, the likelihood is that this could escalate to lawlessness which could be catastrophic towards social cohesion and nation building.

Let us also keep in mind that there are many interventions by government that seek to address land reform and land tenure of black people. All these initiatives could fuel farmers’ fears, so the intervention must be sooner, rather than later.

Yes, all of us are concerned about violent crimes. The recent number of farm attacks and murders in the country is telling. The report by the Institute for Security Studies released in 2019 shows 552 farm attacks were reported, and 57 were murders. These numbers are scary and disturbing. I therefore urge Minister Thoko Didiza, together with various units in the criminal justice system and some section 9 institutions, to quickly find ways of dealing with this matter.

The rise of civil organisations playing an oversight role over government institutions as last line of defence in fighting for ordinary citizens against public service delivery failures can also signal that government has abandoned and failing in its role to protect its citizens.

Urging South Africans to remain calm and to say that the situation is under control may just prevent solutions from being found. We do not want to be at the crossroad.