A farmer was tortured and killed on his property in South Africa early on Sunday, and his wife beaten unconscious, only one day after the leader of the nation's third-largest political party chanted "kill the Boer" at a massive rally in Johannesburg.
Theo and Marlinda Bakkers, white farmers, were attacked on their property in the province of Mpumalanga. Before losing consciousness, Marlinda Bakker was able to identify those four attackers who allegedly slit Theo's throat after beating him with an iron bar. The attack took place after Theo Bakker opened the gate early Sunday morning to allow the cattle to graze, according to local news.
"The suspects forced him back home and tied him and his wife up. His wife was locked up in the bathroom, and [the suspects] took [an undisclosed amount] of firearms from the safe. They took the vehicle and left. Later, they were involved in an accident, and four suspects were arrested," a spokesman for the Mpumalanga police said.
The attackers were later apprehended after stealing a crashing a car they had stolen.
Chairperson of the Southern African Agri Initiative Theo de Jager said the attack was "horrendous," then going on to describe the attack. "He was severely beaten with iron bars before they slit his throat. Before losing consciousness, his wife could tell police that she recognised the attackers. One or two of them either worked on the farm or the next-door farm," he said.
He also noted that there had been a drastic increase in farm murders over the past month, with a low point of eight murders in just a five day span. "Over the last 20 years, on average, there has been one farm attack every two days and a farm murder every five days. On average, there are 72 farm murders and 185 attacks every year." De Jager said that in 2022, "there were six murders of black farmers."
The outlet reports that "from January to March this year, there had been 77 murders, 62 attempted murders, and 317 cases of assault GBH on either agricultural land, farms, plots, or small holdings."
During a packed rally at Johannesburg's FNB Stadium on Saturday, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters Julius Malema recited the notorious anti-white chant, "kill the Boer." The Boers are white South Africans who are descended from the Dutch-speaking colonists who settled in the area in the 1600s and 1700s. The word itself, Boer, means farmer in both Dutch and Afrikaans.
Shocking video of the event shows hundreds of supporters joining Mamela on stage, with tens of thousands more packing the stands around them. They all sing along as he chants in Zulu, then in English, "Shoot to kill! Kill the Boer, the farmer!" EFF is the nation's third-largest political party.
De Jager spoke about the song in relation to the farm murders, saying "The problem is the narrative on social media. When you post about farm murders, people often say: 'What about the number of people murdered on the Cape Flats.'
"I agree," he continued, "there are more murders because of gang violence, but the difference is that people aren't calling for their murder. There's no song saying, 'Shoot the [people on the Cape Flats].'"
"There are many murders of people in the deep rural villages, but it's not accompanied by torture. And afterwards, people aren't applauding the murder on social media," de Jager said.
The "struggle song" gained prominence during the final years of Apartheid, when whites controlled every facet of government and daily life across the nation. These days, it is mostly sung by Malema and his supporters as they continue on their ill-fated quest to return South Africa to a time when racism reigned supreme.
The targeting of white farmers has been an issue in the country for years, with many being gunned down simply because of the color of their skin. Recently, the fight against the Boers has included legislation aimed at making it harder for them to operate their farms.
While supporters of the far-left, pan-Africanist, and Marxist–Leninist party cheered from the stands, Malema's stunt has been widely criticized by South Africans.
Leading the charge is Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen, who announced on Sunday that his party would be taking action against Malema and the EFF both in South Africa. Steenhuisen called on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to intervene, specifically because the UN charter promises the organization will stand against "genocide."
Steenhuisen, who recently led a massive protest against the government's racial quota law, was quick to slam Malema and those in attendance for their actions, accusing the EFF leader of having "resurrected the demon of hatred, division and ethnic violence in South Africa."
"He is determined to ignite the civil war our country narrowly averted in the 1990s," Steenhuisen added. "The DA will not look away. We are confronting this bloodthirsty tyrant head-on."
Steenhuisen explained that the DA would be filing charges against Malema with the UNHRC, alleging that his speech was in violation of at least three UN charters, including the "Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide."
Also named in the complaint is South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, from which Malema was expelled, leading him to launch the EFF. Steenhuisen accused the ANC of not doing enough to rein in its "protegé" as he went about flaming the fires of racial hatred.
The DA will be taking domestic action as well, discussing the incident with Parliament's ethics committee, and seeking legal advice on approaching the Public Protector. The case could also go to court.
In 2022, the Equality Court in Johannesburg ruled that the Apartheid-era song, Dubul’ ibhunu, whose English translation includes the lyrics, "kill the Boer" was permissible under the nation's free speech laws. On the other hand, another judge ordered the ANC party to not sing the song, arguing that it is hate speech and cannot be sung in public or private.
Outgoing AgriSA CEO Christo van der Rheede condemned Malema's use of the song.
"You are wrong if you think you will advance the cause of economic freedom through sloganeering and chanting," he said. "Instead, you will achieve the opposite which is more poverty, misery and hunger."
In the 2019 elections, the EFF received 10.8 percent of the popular vote, with the majority of its support coming from the North West province, Kwazulu-Natal, and Limpopo. In the DA-controlled Western Cape, the EFF brought out only 4.2 percent of the vote.
Since then, support for the EFF has polled at around 6 percent nationally. In March, the party attempted to rile up supporters by staging a "national shutdown" protest, but the lack of participation caused it to be mocked as a "national letdown" by South Africans.
The country is set to go to the polls again in 2024.
