Rural communities should be protected

The DA is deeply concerned by yet another rural attack in KwaZulu-Natal earlier this week, this time on a farmer and his family living near Newcastle.

According to reports, the brutal incident took place after four armed perpetrators took advantage of the farmer’s goodwill and attacked him when he went inside to get them some water.

What followed was horrific as the 67-year-old man was tortured with boiling water and his family members were severely assaulted and tied up.

While it is a miracle that no one was killed as a result of this barbaric incident, the trauma that this family endured will live with them for ever.

No arrests have yet been made by the SAPS.

The DA has long called for a specialised rural safety unit in KZN to deal swiftly with heinous crimes such as these.

To date, our calls have fallen on deaf ears as KZN’s ANC-run government continues to ignore the plight of rural communities.

Without farmers, KZN’s people will not be able to feed their families.

The safety of our rural communities must be addressed or the future of our province will become even more bleak.

ELMA RABE | DA KZN spokesperson on Agriculture and Rural Development