“It seems that farmers have no other choice than to prepare themselves for war.”
This was said by TAU SA’s Deputy President and Chairman of the Safety Committee, Mr. Henry Geldenhuys. Mr. Geldenhuys responded to the murder of 77-year old Mr. Johan van Rensburg of the Baltimore area. “This murder was committed barely a day after the ANC Youth League deputy president, Ronald Lamola, said in Durban that it is an illusion if South Africans believe they can get their land back peacefully. ‘We need an act as forceful as war to bring it back to the Africans’ Lamola said.”
Mr. Geldenhuys associated the murder of Mr. Van Rensburg with Lamola’s comments after it was discovered that mainly weapons are missing. “Why are weapons stolen other than to commit more murders? Lamola creates the ideal atmosphere for radical and reckless youth to take up his statements literally. Farmers can no longer ignore those comments and for the sake of their survival and to keep their land, they need to prepare and organize for the worst possible scenario,” said Mr Geldenhuys.
The late Mr. Van Rensburg was a member of TAU SA for several years. His wife Gloudina was shot three times in the chest and is currently in stable condition in a hospital in Polokwane. About 04:00 this morning the house was intruded. Currently it is not yet certain how many terrorists were involved, but four tracks are being followed by members of the community and the police, while a police helicopter and a private helicopter are also used to identify possible suspects on the run.
Mr. Geldenhuys expressed his condolences to Mr. Van Rensburg’s family on behalf of TAU SA and wished Mrs. Van Rensburg a speedy recovery. He also expressed his appreciation to the community and the police who are on the trail of the murderers. “If they are caught they must expect no mercy, subject to the statutory requirements,” said Mr Geldenhuys.
