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Wreath-laying ceremony in memory of victims of farm murders

AfriForum on 16 November held a wreath-laying ceremony at its head office in Centurion in solidarity with the event held by agricultural organisations in the Free State in memory of Pieter and Eddie Hills and the more than 40 other victims that were brutally murdered on farms across the country in 2020.

A peaceful protest action is Monday being held in Hennenman in the Free State where suspects are set to appear in court in connection with the murder of Hills and his son. The protest was organised by Free State Agriculture and members of the public had a chance to participate in this protest action by laying down flowers during the event in Centurion.

Marnus Kamfer, AfriForum’s Legal and Risk Manager for Community Safety, says it was a bittersweet event. “Bitter because we know that nothing we do will bring these victims back to life. There is however also the sweet because we see how people are opening up their hearts for our farmers. These are the people that have paid the highest price. It is good to see that people are doing something small such as laying down a flower to ensure that these victims do not simply just disappear into the history as a statistic, but that they were people with names, who had families.”

Kamfer says AfriForum will continue fighting the wave of farm attacks harassing the country. The civil rights organisation will continue establishing safety structures on ground level, of which there are already 161. “We will continue creating awareness, to train, equip and support the safety structures to keep their various communities safe.”

Hennie Human, Victim Support Official at AfriForum’s Trauma Unit, concluded the event with prayer.

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