NORTHWEST. – Ian Cameron, chair of the parliamentary portfolio committee on police, says the reported torture of Donovan Marx during an attack on his farm between Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp highlights why farm attacks require targeted, priority-based policing. According to Cameron, Marx was stabbed, shot and had his ears cut off during the attack.
A farm worker was also tied up. Cameron expressed sympathy with Marx, his family and the attacked worker. Cameron says he has himself attended scenes of farm attacks where victims have been brutally tortured. He argues that the remote location of farms, the severity of some attacks and the length of time victims are held and tortured necessitate a targeted police response. He also refers to police's national rural safety strategy of 2019, which according to him recognises the unique nature of farm attacks.
Cameron appeals to Northwest police to prioritise Marx's case, support experienced detectives with forensic and intelligence capacity, and keep the family updated on the investigation. He says rural communities need properly equipped police officers who can render assistance timeously.
Cameron also rejects the use of the song Kill the Boer at political rallies and the celebration of farm murders on social media. He says political leaders should condemn the glorification of violence rather than participate in it or make excuses for it.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
