I will kill anyone who comes to my farm and threatens my wife and kids – Agriculture Minister

Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp said that he will kill anyone who comes to his farm and threatens the life of his wife and kids.

Aucamp made this comment during a discussion about farm attacks with Izak du Plessis on the Afrikaans show, Nuuspod.

“If someone comes onto my farm and threatens my wife and my children and their lives are in danger, I am going to shoot him dead,” he said.

“I am telling you this right here today. If they want to do something to me, they must do it. I will shoot him dead if he threatens my wife and my children.”

“We must never be afraid to do the right thing. The law protects you. There is such a thing as self-defence. I studied law myself.”

He made these comments in response to reports that the South African Police Service is protecting criminals and targeting law-abiding citizens.

Francois Wilken, the chairperson of Vrystaat Landbou, said that many farmers have to address livestock theft on their own because the police are not doing anything about it.

However, even in cases where there is a citizen’s arrest of the criminals, the police often side with the criminals.

“In cases where the farmer intervened and arrested the criminal, the farmer often becomes the person who is targeted by the police,” he said.

“The farmers arrest the thieves and hand them over to the police. However, the next morning, the farmer is charged.”

“The police, through the night, help the criminals to say certain things to implicate the farmer in wrongdoing, which then leads to the farmer’s arrest.”

This, he said, makes it difficult for the farming community to assist the police in addressing crime in rural areas.

“In a normal democracy, the police are on the side of law-abiding citizens. In South Africa, the police are on the side of the criminals,” he said.

Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp comments on farmers fighting crime

Aucamp explained that while this issue affects farmers, it lies under the Department of Justice and the SA Police Service.

This means that, as Agriculture Minister, he does not have the power to change the system which targets farmers instead of criminals.

However, he suggested a solution which will address the concerns which Wilken highlighted about farmers being arrested for trying to tackle crime.

“One of the key measures we have long advocated for is the appointment of specialist prosecutors,” he said.

“While a police officer investigates a case, it is the state prosecutor who brings that case to court.”

“That prosecutor must be a skilled specialist who can look at the facts and recognise what actually occurred.”

“For instance, they must know that a farmer acted in legitimate self-defence when firing a shot, or was lawfully conducting a citizen’s arrest.”

He said that far too often, situations involving farmers become politicised by the investigating officer or by local community unrest.

“We need specialised prosecutors who can distinguish between the reality of an incident and an attempt by others to push a political or ideological agenda,” he said.

“They must have expertise to know the difference between action taken in self-defence to protect family lives, and claims made purely from an ideological standpoint.”