Police officers push around AfriForum representatives and victims of farm murders in front of Minister’s office

AfriForum is to lay charges against the Minister of Police, Nkosinathi Nhleko, the National Police Commissioner, Gen Riah Phiyega and the Tshwane Metro Police, after representatives of this organisation and victims whose loved ones were recently murdered on farms, were today pushed around by police officers and threatened with arrest in front of the Minister’s office.

The incident occurred following a wreath-laying ceremony – which was held by AfriForum and victims of farm attacks – when two AfriForum representatives wanted to deliver a memorandum at the Head Office of the South African Police Service (SAPS). The memorandum contains a motion of no confidence in the Department of Police and the SAPS, regarding their inability and unwillingness to actively combat farm murders.

Ernst Roets, Deputy CEO of AfriForum, explained that the organisation complied with all the requirements of the Regulations of Gatherings Act and that the gathering was peaceful and legal.

“Notwithstanding all the proof that the Minister’s office and the Tshwane Metro Police received our notification to hold this gathering, it was alleged today that no one was informed about the gathering and that it was, in their opinion, an illegal gathering.”

After AfriForum and the victims had to wait in the street for an hour for a representative of the Minister to receive the memorandum, they entered the arcade, in which the main entrance to the Head Office of the police is situated, and went ahead with the wreath-laying ceremony.

Seeing as no one from the Minister’s office wanted to receive the memorandum, Roets and Ian Cameron, AfriForum’s Head of Community Safety, walked towards the entrance hall to hand over the memorandum. However, armed policemen obstructed their path. Roets and Cameron tried walking through the officials, after which they were pushed around by the police and threatened with arrest. Bernadette Hall, whose husband was murdered on their farm in 2012, was also pushed around by the police officials.

Roets explained that this is the worst form of insensitivity imaginable:

“A group of victims whose loved ones were murdered, approach the police for help, but the Metro Police fails to organise security for the gathering, the Minister refuses to receive their memorandum and he sends his troops to push around the victims after they had to wait in the street for an hour. It is a violation of every victim’s basic rights concerning freedom of movement, freedom of speech and freedom of bodily integrity. If the Minister is of the opinion that he can silence those requesting for the prioritisation of farm murders by means of bully tactics, he is making a huge mistake.”

The memorandum was received two hours later by a representative of the police’s security section.

• The documents are available upon request.