The Democratic Alliance has reiterated its call for the re-establishment of a specialised police rural safety unit in the wake of yet another brutal farm attack in which an elderly couple were murdered.

Hannes Kidson‚ and his wife‚ Ester Kidson‚ both 69 years old‚ were murdered on Friday on their farm Oortjies‚ between Jachtsfontein and Westonaria south-west of Johannesburg.

The wife‚ who recently had a hip replacement and was in a wheel chair‚ had her throat cut. Her husband was found dead in his work-shed‚ also with his throat cut.

DA spokesperson on agriculture‚ forestry and fisheries Annette Steyn said on Sunday it was clear that South Africans living in rural areas‚ farmers and farm workers alike‚ were facing extreme danger.

“According to information provided in a parliamentary reply‚ the South African Police Service noted 49 farm murders in the past year. The number‚ according to the TLU – during this same time – is as high as 72 murders‚” Steyn asserted.

“South Africa is in urgent need of a rural safety policing strategy that finally takes this reality into consideration. The DA has repeatedly called for the re-establishment of a specialised Rural Safety Unit in the SAPS‚ so that this can finally happen – to no avail‚” she added.

She said this need was confirmed by a report by the South African Human Rights Commission‚ released in October 2015‚ which found that:

- Law enforcement agencies such as the SAPS and the National Prosecuting Authority should step up their involvement in combating crimes against farming communities;

- The SAPS should submit periodic progress reports on crime in farming communities to the SAHRC;

- The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform should provide a policy brief on the current status of land tenure in the farming communities and establish the standard of housing delivered to farm workers and dwellers‚ this standard needs to be guided by the principles of dignity; and

- The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development should include farming communities in the Promotion of the Rights of Vulnerable Groups (PRVG) programme.

“The DA will again request that this report be tabled in Parliament for scrutiny by the Portfolio Committee on Police. This is the best way to ensure that every proposal made in the report is checked against the government response since 2015.

“Violent crime across South Africa needs to be tackled head on‚ so that every person can live in peace‚ safe in the knowledge that the government is doing everything possible to ensure their safety. The DA will not rest until we ensure that this happens‚” Steyn said.