AfriForum declares 1 December as worldwide day against farm murders
AfriForum has declared 1 December as worldwide day against farm murders. Going forward, this day will be dedicated annually to commemorating the victims of farm murders and farm attacks, supporting their surviving loved ones and drawing international attention to the ongoing violence against rural communities in South Africa.
People are continuously being attacked on farms in South Africa. Individuals are injured, families are traumatised and some victims never return home because they are murdered. This violence must not be allowed to become merely another statistic. Behind every farm murder is a human being, a family and a community that must live with the devastating consequences.
The date was deliberately chosen in memory of two-year-old Wilmien Potgieter, who was murdered on 1 December 2010, along with her parents, Attie and Wilna, on their farm in the Free State.
“Wilmien was only two years old. Her life was cruelly cut short before it had truly begun. Her death — and that of numerous other victims of farm murders — must never be forgotten or reduced to mere statistics. This day is about remembering their names and lives and bringing the reality of farm violence to the attention of South Africans and the international community alike,” says Jacques Broodryk, AfriForum’s Chief Spokesperson for Community Safety.
AfriForum calls on members of the public to wear a small white cross on their shirt or jacket, or to wear a white shirt, on 1 December as a symbol of remembrance and solidarity with victims and their loved ones. AfriForum branches nationwide will observe a moment of silence in their memory, starting promptly at 12:00. Members of the public and supporters in other countries are also encouraged to observe a moment of silence at that time or to organise their own local commemorative events.
“We want people across South Africa — and elsewhere in the world — to join us in remembrance on 1 December. This is about every life lost in a farm murder, every person who has survived a farm attack and every family still living with the trauma and loss. We ask people to wear the white cross and to observe a moment of silence at 12:00. It is a simple gesture, yet one that conveys a powerful message of remembrance and solidarity,” adds Broodryk.
AfriForum is also engaging with international stakeholders, particularly in the United States of America, to involve them in this initiative and help raise global awareness of farm murders in South Africa. The organisation aims to ensure that this day receives not only local attention but also promotes international awareness of the violence directed at rural communities.
