FF+, farmers protest farm murders

Lindley farmers and a group of FF Plus (FF+) members were on Monday protesting outside the Free State town’s magistrate’s court while waiting for six men to appear on murder charges.

The six were arrested in connection with the murder of the Potgieter family on a farm outside Lindley last week.

Attie Potgieter (40), his wife Wilna (36) and their three-year-old daughter Willemien were found murdered on their farm on Thursday last week. It seemed Potgieter had been stabbed, while his wife and daughter were shot.

FF+ leader Pieter Mulder was outside the court while party members were waving placards asking for the return of the death penalty.

“We are here to express our anger and frustration,” said Mulder.

“‘For what other reason would you kill a two-and-half-year old baby ... it is difficult to explain this other than an act of racism.”

Mulder said a further frustration was that the governing ANC party had not said one word about the crime. He said the country’s leaders should publicly condemn such killings, no matter who the victims were.

The ANC government should wake up and declare farm attacks as a priority crime, just as with transit heists and murders recently, Mulder said.

Free State police spokesperson Sergeant Mmako Mophiring said police were monitoring the protest outside the court.—Sapa