The Democratic Alliance (DA) today launched a provincial Court Watching Briefs Unit in the Northern Cape, in order to specifically assist victims of farm attacks and their families to achieve justice and ultimately put the assailants behind bars.

This is increasingly important given a notable increase in farm attacks, including last week’s heinous farm attack in Hartswater that claimed the lives of Danie, Breggie and Elzabie Brand. The incident created fear amongst the locals and sent shockwaves through the entire farming community of the province.

It is for this reason that we have decided to adopt the Watching Briefs initiative in the Northern Cape. The initiative was first introduced by the Department of Community Safety in the DA-led Western Cape to act in accordance with the Constitutional provisions contained in Section 206 (3) of the Constitution, which provides that every province is entitled to monitor police conduct and report inefficiencies.

The initiative and the work of such a unit can successfully prevent cases being dropped from the roll and will help to achieve convictions. It will also speed up operations between the police, the prosecution services and the victims of the brutal farm attacks.

In this regard, the DA has become intricately involved in the Brand murder case. We ensured that we were present in Hartswater last week, establishing relationships with key stakeholders, prior to the first court appearance of the five suspects that were apprehended in relation to the case.

While we were heartened by the great show of togetherness by farmers and the surrounding communities, who came together on a large scale,in an effort to take a firm stance against farm attacks, we need to ensure that we keep the momentum going.

The DA will therefore continue to support victims throughout the entire process to reassure them that we are a party that cares about the farming community at large and that we are willing to go to great lengths to see that justice is served.

Aside from keeping track of the court proceedings, the watching brief will also see us monitoring police conduct and the effectiveness and efficiency of the police service, as well as promoting good relations between the police and the community. In this regard, we will also assess the effectiveness of visible policing; as well as the functionality and support to Community Policing Forums and neighbourhood watches, and liaise with the DA’s provincial spokesperson of safety, responsible for policing, with respect to crime, policing and prosecutions.

It is high time that farm attacks become priority crimes.

With our Rural Safety Watching Briefs initiatives the DA hopes to improve the follow-through of farm related attacks in order that justice is served. In this regard, surviving victims of farm attacks, their family members, farm workers and community members need to experience true justice, that does not stop after the swift arrest of the perpetrators, but ends with harsh sentences being served down on the guilty attackers, who are stealing lives and stealing food security from an increasingly violent and food-insecure country.

Given the increase in the number, and associated brutality, of farm murders, the DA has declared ourselves a willing and active partner in combatting farm attacks. We will do everything in our power to assist and compliment the stakeholders involved in investigations and to ensure that the momentum of a fast reacting government is maintained to increase the level of trust between our farmers and the local government.

Issued by The DA