Privileged or not? You decide!

I am confronted with the reality of crime on a daily basis … “Ordinary” murders, farm murders, farm attacks, poor service by the police and the National Prosecuting Authority, and many other challenges mark my days.

People always ask me: “Does it not bother you?” or “How do you cope?” If I say that it makes no impression, I will have to lie. Do I enjoy what I do? Yes, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I know you’ll think I’ve lost my marbles, but let me explain and you can decide for yourself if I’ve lost it or whether I’ve been blessed.

A strong debate is raging in the media and on the social networks about statistics, and this debate has a tendency to become personal. It sounds quite bloodthirsty at times.

Statistics are important to support your case and we use it, even here at AfriForum. It is also important that statistics should be credible, or you’ll lose your standing.

In the latest edition of Land of Sorrow: The reality of farm attacks, 1990-2012 (Kraal Publishers)3 319 attacks are discussed. 1 610 of these were murders. The authors agree that the numbers are conservative, as each incident in the book had to be verified. It is quite possible that attacks took place which were never reported. Only incidents reported by the families and the media are recorded. Roelof van der Westhuizen was attacked on his farm in July 2006 and this was never reported. Hubbe van der Veen was attacked in 2012 and this was not reported. This proves my point that these statistics are under-reported.

Statistics turn victims into numbers. Attack 2905 was just another number and another murder on the social networks, but for Amanda Kruger, this was her husband, Iep Kruger.

Number 2905 was going to retire and tour with his wife, Amanda. His retirement was planned perfectly. I had the privilege to talk to Amanda after the murder and to listen to their dreams. I could understand Iep Kruger, who would remain number 2905 for others.

Number 3188 also had dreams. He was David Hall, a soft-spoken dairy farmer from Fochville. I could speak to his wife, Bernadette, and listen to her pain, but also her conviction that she was not leaving and would remain on the farm. An inspiration.

Number 3202 survived, and yes, he also has a story to tell. It was a wonderful experience to talk to Bouke Tack and to hear that he had no hatred in his heart, even though he was confined to a wheelchair after the attack. He, too, chose to remain on the farm.

Last week I met Noël McSeveney… For many just another sad statistic, but for me an inspiration.

I listened to him telling me how “life flowed out of him”, how he knew that he was dying. His time was over. He spoke of a vision he had, of a black cloud coming in his direction … and mountains.

“I knew I was dying,” he said. I listened to him telling me how he recited a well-known hymn: “Moet ek gaan met leë hande, moet ek so my Heer ontmoet …” [Must I go empty-handed, must I greet my Lord this way?] Suddenly the black cloud becomes white, and he wakes up reciting Psalm 23. Noël should not have lived. This was a miracle! The attack was recorded on social networks, but the news did not make headlines. It was a privilege to talk to him and meet the person behind the number.

I can give you a dozen names of people whose stories I’ve heard, stories which were altered or shortened by violence… Jaco Swart, Louwrens Gebhardt, Mauritz Oberholzer, Wybrand Pistorius, Oom Koos “Tamatie”, Bernadine Kruger, Ronè Knell, Michael Schoeman…

Behind every number or remark on a social network is a face and I have the privilege to work with the person behind the statistics daily. Each one, whether a victim or the family grieving for loved ones, is an inspiration.

Are statistics wrong? Absolutely not.

If I sometimes feel disempowered, the stories of the victims or their families, their will to continue, their struggle to survive the odds give me new hope … and I want to get up, to work, to listen …

An inspiration, a privilege!