Farm attacks 'may be linked'

2009-11-04 12:01

Johannesburg - A farmer was killed and two other people seriously injured in separate farm attacks in Baltimore near Lephalale in Limpopo, the Transvaal Agricultural Union's northern branch (TAU SA north) said on Wednesday.

This was indicative of the escalation of crimes targeted at farmers in the area, according to union chairperson Japie Spanio.

"Mr Izak and Mrs Mariaan Jansen van Vuuren of the farm Clanwilliam were attacked while going home after church on Sunday. Mr Jansen van Vuuren is badly injured and will have to undergo extensive plastic surgery to his face," said Spanio.

He said the attacks follows a similar one on October 24 in which Pieter Botha of Mokolo Safaris was also badly injured.

Botha was attacked just three days after another farmer, 65-year-old Jan Potgieter was killed at his farm.

Attacks may be linked

"It is indeed highly suspicious that [there were] three attacks in the same area in ten days,” Spanio said.

He said TAU SA North has requested both the Limpopo police commissioner and the safety and security MEC to provide a special task team to investigate "the possibility of an organised attack on the rural community".

Commissioner Calvin Sengani and MEC Dikeledi Magadzi have been invited to join the union at a crime prevention operation scheduled for Friday.

"It is therefore fitting to invite the MEC and provincial commissioner to join this very important crime prevention operation.

"Criminals must get the message that the local community and the Saps will not tolerate violent crime," Spanio said.

- SAPA