Black Monday Protest for white farmers murders tomorrow
The protest/Campaign is a direct call by members of the white farming community, Afriforum, AgriSA and some black farming groups and supporters to make people aware of the killings and get the government to protect farmers.
The recent killing of 47-year-old Stellenbosch wine farmer Joubert Conradie caused a stir of rage and mixed emotions on social media platforms. Conradie died in hospital after being shot on his farm in the early hours of Tuesday 24th of October in the morning.
According to AgriSA, it is estimated that 71 farmers have been killed and 341 attacked this year alone.
Agri SA executive director Omri van Zyl said his association represented 28,000 commercial farmers and 100,000 black emerging farmers.
The incident prompted one of Conradie’s friend, Chris Loubser, to post a video online expressing his heartache over the loss of his friend.
The viral video also asks South Africans to wear black on Monday as a sign of respect to victims of farm attacks.
Commercial farmers are 4.5 times as likely to get murdered as the South African population as a whole, according to AfriForum‚ which released its latest statistics on attacks and murders on farms in Centurion on Wednesday.
Civil rights group AfriForum said it “wholeheartedly” supported Loubser’s initiative and would like to encourage their members and all communities to support “Black Monday”.
“It is important that people take a public stand and this action is an opportunity to do just that,” deputy CEO of AfriForum Ernst Roets said.
Well-known evangelist and KwaZulu-Natal farmer Angus Buchan on Thursday called on South African farmers to “exercise extreme restraint” following a wave of farm murders in the country.
In a video released on his Facebook page, Buchan said he was speaking “with a heavy heart” about the “reports of many farm murders taking place”.
Buchan’s video followed a series of messages circulating on social media, calling on South African farmers to take up arms to defend themselves.
The World needs to take notice of the ongoing farm attacks going on in South Africa! People are being murdered everyday!!
— Ernie Els (@TheBig_Easy) October 25, 2017
Dear white S Africans, the way to deal with this very real crisis is to join hands w/ ALL murder victims, not this white genocide nonsense. https://t.co/sNo5SdogRm
— Madeleine Fullard (@mfullard2) October 29, 2017
Why is black twitter silent on the ongoing brutal murders of white farmers in South Africa ?
— Your Boy Sas (@ItsYourBoySas) October 29, 2017
Others have different opinions about the protest
#BlackMonday is purely about highlighting a need to put a premium value on the lives of white farmers. #AllLivesMatter not just white lives.
— Wesley Fester (@FesterWesley) October 27, 2017
What's interesting is how little is said about black farm workers & their families who are killed. Particularly by white farmers
— Third Force (@NalediMashishi) October 28, 2017
Motorist are advised to take alternative routes or be cautious on the indicated protest routes.