South Africa: Another White Farmer’s Savage Murder Sparks Demonstrations at Courthouse

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Oct 16, 2020

A fresh round of protests began outside a courthouse in Senekal, South Africa, where two suspects accused of savagely murdering a white farmer are currently being arraigned.

21-year-old farmer Brendin Horner was brutally murdered in South Africa earlier this month. He was found tied to a pole with injuries to his head and face on October 2, a day after his girlfriend reported him missing.

The next day, October 3, police arrested Sekwetje Isaiah Mahlamba and Sekola Piet Matlaletsa for their suspected role in the murder. A police spokesman stated that the authorities found “blood-stained clothes and shoes” and vowed to forensically test them.

There have already been prior demonstrations at the Senekal courthouse. Back on October 6 protesters gathered and demanded justice for Brendin Horner specifically, but also white South African farmers generally, whom they see as being easy targets for racially-motivated resentment.

Counter-protesters also showed up, mostly activists from the Economic Freedom Fighters Party. Some of them seem to have chanted “kill the Boer, kill the farmer.”

Just as the United States has to deal with the legacy of slavery and segregation, South Africa has to deal with the legacy of apartheid. Some in South Africa don’t think the government goes far enough vis-à-vis land distribution and righting historical wrongs, while others don’t think it adequately protects the interests of the minority Boers who feed the country. It’s a complicated situation that clearly still has its tense moments.