The Transvaal Agricultural Union of SA, Tau SA, is scheduled to reveal its statistics on farm murders between January and June this year in Pretoria on Tuesday. 

Assistant General Manager, Chris van Zyl, says the number of farm murders per year have been increasing steadily since the 48 measured in 2011. He says there were 64 farm murders last year and the figure for this year is already at 39 – which is 12 more murders than at the same time last year.

He says the frequency and the violence are very worrying:

“I am worried about the escalation. I am worried about the big difference between the violence of an attack when compared with the primary motive.

“A cellphone is stolen, cash is stolen, firearms. The question that I ask, though, is it really necessary that victims are subjected to deadly violence.”

Tuesday’s event will also be addressed by Johan Burger of the Institute of Security Studies who will focus on unrest in the country and the impact on agriculture.  

OFM News