National Police Commissioner attributes issue with attacks to public’s emotions

National Police Commissioner, Riah Phiyega is not in touch with the realities playing out on South African farms. This is the view of AfriForum after Gen Phiyega today told the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) that the perceptions of people regarding farm murders should be managed.

In response to questions from the SAHRC, Gen Phiyega said that murders on farms are not the true problem, rather people’s perception about it. Gen Phiyega explained that the South African Police Service (SAPS) wants to implement a programme across the country to manage the public’s emotions about farm murders.

“We need to determine what drives people’s feelings (about farm murders). Is it what they read in the newspaper or is it that they really don’t feel safe?” Gen Phiyega said, amongst other things.

Ernst Roets, Deputy CEO of AfriForum expressed his concern about the fact that the police gave comprehensive feedback regarding the content of its rural safety plan, but that they could not indicate to what degree the plan has been implemented.

“Gen Phiyega said farm murders are now fewer than before, and as a result implied that the farm murder situation is not as bad as people think,” Roets said.

Roets described Gen Phiyega’s argument as insignificant.

“The fact that crime has declined from a high extreme to a somewhat lower extreme does not mean that it’s solved. It is our experience at AfriForum that the brutality of farm murders is worsening, but Gen Phiyega didn’t make mention of the brutality.”