Farm murder protests: Demonstrators clash with police officials
- The death of Brendin Horner has caused chaos in Senekal, resulting in a standoff between protestors and police
- Shots were fired during the altercation outside the Senekal Magistrate's Court on Tuesday
- This comes as two suspects appeared in court over the murder of the 22-year-old
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The case against two alleged suspects for the death of Brendin Horner, aged 32 and 43, has been postponed until 16 October.
Protestors from all over the country met outside of the Senekal Magistrate's Court on Tuesday morning.
The demonstrations descended into chaos with protestors attempting to reach the suspects in the court's holding cells, prompting clashes with police.
Source: UGC
The Citizen reports that media representatives were also targeted and assaulted by participants who were not pleased by their presence.
The two suspects had been arrested after the body had been found in the Paul Roux area last Friday.
The Senekal Magistrate's Court was almost entirely engulfed by countless protesters voicing their anger over farm murders.
While the proceedings had begun on a peaceful note, things had become violent after the case was postponed. News24 reports that vehicles and even horses had been decorated with white crosses had driven in convoys to the court.
The crowd had been addressed by AfriForum representatives as well as members of the Democratic Alliance and the Freedom Front Plus. A moment of silence was held for the victims before the proceedings outside of the court began.
Meanwhile, Briefly.co.za reported that Police Minister Bheki Cele says that farm attacks and murders will not be classified as priority crimes.
The minister explained that this is because these attacks usually involve incidents classified as aggravated robbery on a farm or dwelling. While the minister says that these crimes will not be made a priority, he did confirm that they include the most 'serious crimes' that the SAPS investigates:
"The crimes associated with farm attacks are, therefore, included in the most serious category of crimes SAPS reports on."
The minister has been responding to a parliamentary question posed by DA MP Andrew Whitfield over the plan to adopt a national rural safety strategy to curb crime in these communities.
Cele explained that the plan will be implemented over the course of the next five years, set to draw to a close in 2025.
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Source: Briefly News
