Mokaba legacy fuels farm murders - AfriForum
2010-06-03 19:04
Potchefstroom - AfriForum Youth said on Thursday it was concerned about farm murders.
"In most cases the accused are young people," chairperson Ernst Roets said outside the Potchefstroom Magistrate's Court where the case against three men accused of murdering a North West farmer was postponed.
Simphiwe Tuen, Jonathan Sekgane and Soul Letsie would appear again on June 10 while the case was investigated further.
The investigating officer, Warrant Officer Pretorius, told the court he was waiting for results on fingerprints and from blood found on a shoe at the scene of the murder.
The three allegedly killed Johan Strydom at his Buffelshoek farm outside Potchefstroom and dragged him behind a bakkie in May.
Documentary
Roets said young people were being misled by the former ANC Youth League president Peter Mokaba's song "Shoot the boer, shoot the farmer".
He said AfriForum Youth were producing a documentary highlighting farm murders and HIV/Aids to raise international awareness of the situation in South Africa.
"There have been more than 2 000 farm attacks in recent years, not only white farmers were killed but black farmers were also being killed," he said.
The documentary, expected to be released next week, would be distributed on the internet, at various embassies and some copies would be handed to the ANCYL.
Roets said the documentary would reflect the true legacy of Mokaba, whom he described as an Aids denialist and instigator of farm murders.
He said naming a World Cup soccer stadium in Polokwane after Mokaba portrayed him as a hero and was "spitting" on victims of farm attacks.
Legacy
"Look what his legacy is doing to young people... they are arrested for killing farmers."
He said young people were of the opinion that killing a farmer elevated them to the status of heroes.
"The documentary will tell the public what Peter Mokaba stands for, it asks whether they (the public) will play in a stadium named after him."
Roets said they had intended to protest at the court but were not granted permission to do so.
"We are told there is a moratorium on protests until the end of the World Cup, we feel we were denied our right to protest," he said, adding that they would apply for permission to protest next week when they launch the documentary.
- SAPA