Who and what is AfriForum?

AfriForum is an Afrikaans civil rights organisation that protects the rights of minority groups at national as well as provincial level, and anyone who can identify with AfriForum’s principles and objectives may join the organisation. AfriForum’s community plan focuses on mobilising communities to thus take control of their own streets and neighbourhoods again. AfriForum ensures that your constitutional and civil rights are recognised and protected at national level.

Wie en wat is AfriForum?

AfriForum is ’n Afrikaanse burgerregteorganisasie wat die regte van minderheidsgroepe op sowel nasionale as provinsiale vlak beskerm, en enigiemand wat met AfriForum se beginsels en doelstellings kan identifiseer, mag by die organisasie aansluit. AfriForum se gemeenskapsplan fokus daarop om gemeenskappe te mobiliseer om só weer beheer terug te neem oor hul eie strate en woonbuurtes. AfriForum verseker dat jou grondwetlike én burgerregte op nasionale vlak erken en beskerm word.

NPA’s inaction in 81-year-old farmer’s murder case a disgraceful failure of justice

Soundbite: Jacques Broodryk (English)

Soundbite: Jacques Broodryk (Afrikaans)

AfriForum maintains that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is guilty of a shameful injustice after it was decided this week to remove the case of the murder of Hendrik Venter, an 81-year-old farmer from Kuruman, from the court roll. Venter was murdered on his farm in September last year. The removal has now resulted in the accused in this case being released from custody pending further investigation. This follows months of senior prosecutors in the case undertaking to escalate the case due to its severity.

AfriForum calls on the NPA and the South African Police Service (SAPS) to take immediate corrective action, urgently resume the case and ensure that justice is no longer delayed or denied.

The civil rights organisation reached out to the Venter family and their legal representative and is currently investigating the procedural failures that led to this outcome. AfriForum views the NPA’s actions in the Venter case as another example of the state’s growing indifference toward victims of farm murders and attacks.

AfriForum argues that chronic delays, administrative breakdowns, and a lack of prosecutorial will have characterised the case so far. Furthermore, there was no Legal Aid representative present for the accused at the time of the hearing. Despite this, the state did not object, offer any explanation or take any steps to preserve the integrity of the proceedings. The magistrate subsequently removed the matter from the court roll, citing stagnant investigations as the reason.

In addition to these failings, serious delays in the processing of forensic evidence, which contributed significantly to the breakdown of the case, have now come to light. The SAPS has been experiencing persistent backlogs in the testing of forensic evidence for years and has shown no significant progress in addressing it. AfriForum, in turn, has long advocated for the use of private forensic laboratories to speed up testing and limit delays in criminal trials, but it appears that the SAPS is content with the current dysfunction, even if it means murderers are allowed to walk free.

“This is not just an administrative failure – it is a complete abandonment of justice,” said Jacques Broodryk, AfriForum’s Chief Spokesperson for Community Safety. “When a citizen is brutally murdered at his farm gate and the accused walk free due to prosecutorial passivity and a collapsing forensic system, it must rightly be asked whose side the justice system is on.”

AfriForum emphasises that the Venter case points to a pattern characterised by negligence and political disinterest in cases involving farm attacks. The failure to oppose the removal of the case, despite prior undertakings to escalate it to regional court, sends a bitter message to victims that their suffering is not a priority.

“The Venter family, and the many others who have suffered similar losses, deserve more than empty reassurances. They deserve accountability, urgency and action,” Broodryk added.

AfriForum also urges government officials and prosecuting authorities to work with civil society and victim representatives to ensure that public trust in the justice system is restored. The solution does not lie in silence or red tape but in transparency, collaboration and a shared commitment to justice for all,” Broodryk concludes.