COMMENT , by Pete Bower
GAUTENG
MAGAZINE
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PLOT PROFITABLE
Vol 18 No 3 March 2017 PUBLISHED BY Bowford Publications ( Pty ) Ltd Established 1985
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FRONT COVER
A lone windmill pokes towards a lowering sky , while its feet are planted in a field of cosmos . Typical Gauteng autumn scene .
COMMENT , by Pete Bower
Farm - and plot - murders
Afew weeks ago an elderly neighbour of mine was found dead ~ murdered ~ on his porch one evening . Being elderly , he was in the habit of taking his rest in the sun upon his porch , sitting , and often sleeping , in a comfortable chair he had there . The lady members of his family had gone out for the day , leaving him at peace and ostensibly alone . When they returned in the evening they saw him in his chair and entered the house , believing him to be asleep . However , when they attempted to rouse him to come in for dinner they found him non-responsive . And , on looking around the house they found a safe had been forced , and valuables stolen . In his 80s , my neighbour thus joins the more than 1 500 victims of unnatural death that occur in South Africa monthly . Conflating his murder on a 2ha East Rand smallholding with the number of violent killings that take place on South Africa ' s farms , remote as they are , is probably stretching a point . Is the modus operandi of the criminals the same on farms and smallholdings ? Are the causes and motives similar ? And do the authorities react in the same way ? But it is certainly worth making the point that the death of a defenceless old man , resting harmlessly on his porch , for the theft of a few trinkets and a bit of cash , is barbaric and dreadful . And he is by no means the first to die violently at the hands of criminals in our area , nor is he the first person of my acquaintance to be murdered on a plot . A couple of years ago a good lady friend of mine was murdered in her home in the country north of Krugersdorp by thugs who violently assaulted her and her husband , before making off with some portable loot . She died slowly , her life-blood literally seeping from her , tied crudely to her husband , as he made desperate attempts to free himself to save her . We all know that Muldersdrift and surrounds have suffered inordinately at the hands of criminals in recent years , and the murder rate there is significantly higher than in most other areas of rural Gauteng yet it makes it no easier on the bereaved , and friends of the victims , and no amount of security , it seems , will prevent a determined criminal from perpetrating his evil actions . Notice also how , when talking about such incidents we South Africans very rarely bring up the subject of the capture , trial and conviction of the perpetrators . For , it seems , if the perpetrators are ever caught , there is a very good chance that the Police who caught them will commit some blunder with the evidence which will render it inadmissible in court and the case will simply be chucked out . That , of course , is if the perpetrators are ever caught in the first place , which is not very likely given the ridiculous case loads of the average South African detective . We commiserate with the families of the victims and offer sympathy and warm hugs , but we invite ridicule , it seems , if we suggest that a bit of retributive justice might be meted out . Organised agriculture periodically ~ and quite rightly ~ raises its concerns about the number of farmers and their families who fall victim to violent crime , and holds periodic meetings with grandees in the security and policing services . I suppose smallholders should do something similar , though we lack the formal structures through which to speak with one voice . Perhaps now is the time for smallholders to band together as one group , so that we can speak with one voice , either to strengthen the case put by agricultural organisations , or on our own behalf , But anyway , if you think crime is bad on the plots , and on the farms , try the townships , or the ganglands of the Cape Flats . Short of Colombia , northern Syria or Afghanistan they have to be the most violent places on earth . So what ' s to be done , if we are to prevent ourselves from joining the horrendous murder statistics ? The assurance of punishment , of course , is a good deterrent , if for no other reason that , for as long as the criminal is incarcerated he is unable to commit further crimes . But punishment and incarceration implies that he is caught and convicted , and that brings us back to the problem of an inadequately-sized , and inadequately-trained and inadequately-equipped police force ( it is an indictment on our government that the amount South Africans currently spend on private security services exceeds the budget of the SA Police Service ). But the real solution lies in improving education , creating meaningful jobs , reducing inequality , and giving young people and the marginalised hope . Hope in their future , and a sense of purpose and reason to live . For without that , all our lives are at stake .
SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE GAUTENG SMALLHOLDER