  To listen to the From the Frontline podcast interview with Peter Hammond and Emma Vaughan-Jones, click here. The Other Side of the Story At first this story wasn’t being told at all. Farmers are being brutally mutilated at a genocidal rate, yet few cared or dared to say a word. There has now been an iceberg tip of much needed coverage on this topic, but there is still an under-the-surface glacier that needs to be uncovered. Why is the government not trying to get to the bottom of it? What are they trying to hide? Or what are they trying to prove? Is this really about race? So why are both white and black farmers and workers being attacked? Is it really about land? Do the attackers really want to work their fingers to the bone morning, noon and night, through blood, sweat and tears? Is it about money? Then why in 34% of these brutal cases, is not one thing taken? Is it about poverty? Then why is the ANC government getting richer while their people are homeless and starving? Is this really to be blamed on the previous government? Then why after 24 years of rule, is there still such destitution? Why has unemployment grown from under 4 million to 30 million since the ANC came into power? Where is the Rainbow Nation we were promised? Where is the security, peace and freedom we were promised? Is it the poor and underprivileged at fault, or the ANC government? If it’s the government’s attempt at trying to right past wrong, then why are black people also being attacked? Is this really a war of demographics, or are naïve foot soldiers being brainwashed into a war of hatred and personal greed? We need to honestly answer these questions if we want any curative progress to be set in motion in our splintered country. We need discernment with regards to media and propaganda. Still more needs to be said, as not everyone has heard or realizes the absolute atrocities and terror that South African Farmers face daily – people being boiled alive, 4 year girls being cut joker style, power tools used on human limbs, women being gang raped, people being cooked alive with blow torches, entire families bludgeoned to death. Farm workers being beaten with iron rods and shot – targeting those who have been there the longest. If they are also attacking and killing their own people, what is their true aim? Is this really about land, or is this about selfish greed? If They are killing fellow blacks, in the hope that they can have the farm for themselves, then no matter who the rightful owner of the land is, no matter if the white people have all left or not, they will continue to murder and plunder for selfish desire, as happened in the Mfacane under Shaka, Dingane and Mzilikazi and more recently in Zimbabwe. More truth and press coverage is needed, worldwide and locally, but people need to hear the facts in their entirety. I want to discuss the second side of the story. What Do the Facts Actually Show? Last year, 2017, there were 463 Farm attacks, with 94 cases of murder. In 2016 there were 345 attacks resulting in 70 murders. In 2015 there were 318 attacks with 64 murdered. So despite having the element of surprise, only 1 in 5 attacks are successful for the attackers. In the other 4 cases out of the 5, even though the farmers and workers were still horrendously attacked and terribly outnumbered, they were able to fight back and cause the attackers to flee. The farmers are not just sitting ducks. Although it is important to understand and be aware of the absolute atrocities taking place, we also need to look at the success stories. There is hope. If we are aware and are well equipped and prepared for the attacks, we can be triumphant. Evil will not prevail. We need to fight against it. We will not just flee. We are resilient. We are South Africans. Stories of Resilience
Elderly Couple Fights Back 20 August 2009: Anna-Marie (78) and Koert (80) from Kromdraai were attacked shortly after returning from a shopping trip to Pretoria. Anna-Marie had opened the kitchen door and Koert was carrying the groceries from the vehicle when they were attacked. They identified the person as someone who drove past their home in the morning on their way out to town. The attacker hit Anna-Marie over the head, pushed her against the ground and strangled her, while demanding her to keep silent. She shouted, trying to warn her husband, as the attacker first hit her with a wrench and then hit her with a “knopkierie”. Koert was then kicked down on the ground and also attacked with the “knopkierie” as he entered the house - the “knopkierie” was finally broken on his arm. Meanwhile, Anna-Marie caught the attacker with a sambok before grabbing one of the broken pieces of the knopkierie and hitting the attacker back with it. The attacker turned around and bit off the tip of Anna-Marie's ring finger in an attempt to tear her ring off her finger. She kicked him in his genitals, causing him to collapse. Koert took advantage of the opportunity and threw the attacker out the kitchen door. While Koert was holding the door locked, the attacker broke the window and tore off the burglar bars, trying to get back in again. "He was crazy. He wanted to get us. You could see he wanted to kill us" says the elderly couple. The attacker was only started to back off when they phoned SAPS and the neighbours for help. The suspect eventually fled empty handed. No arrest has yet been made. SAPS only opened a case of 'burglary', not attempted murder and armed robbery... Women Resist Attackers April 3, 2011: Ellen went to take care of her horses at 16:00. She was attacked in the feeding room by two men with balaclavas. She resisted with her body weight, pulled one attacker's ballaclava off his head and bit him on the nose. The other attacker pressed a weapon between her eyes and pulled the trigger. She just heard 'click'. After the shot did not go off, she was tied up with the horse-riding reins and left in the feeding room. "I bit the one rope around my wrist slightly loose and then loosened my feet. My biggest fear was about my mother, who was in the house" said Ellen. Ellen then grabbed a piece of iron from the stable and hid it under her arm. When the two men opened the door, she stabbed the one in the stomach. She was hit with a brick in the face, smashing her teeth. After falling to the fall she was kicked everywhere, in the back, stomach, face. She was strangled and they pulled her hair while asking for weapons and money. They then tried to tie her up again, this time with wire. They rolled Ellen in a blanket and pushed her home in a wheelbarrow. In order to breathe, she had to bite a hole in the blanket. Meanwhile, Aunty Fenna, Ellen’s mother, was attacked on the veranda and tied to the guestroom's bed with wire. She pretended to be asleep every time the men passed by her with arms full of their possessions. Only at 20:55 when it was quiet, could Ellen press the alarm and call for help. The attackers were caught while they hid in a dam just 500m from the house. Three Generations Resist Three women fought to beat three attackers on their farm outside of Brits after one of the women seized the robbers' axe. Hannelie Jacobs (59), her daughter Suretha (29) and her 81-year-old mother, Grietjie, bravely stood their ground and managed to keep the attackers at bay. The three women and four children, including a six-day-old baby, were alone on the farm in Krokodildrift West, when three attackers poured through the windows of the house shortly after 22:00. "I was in the room with one of the children when the window shattered behind me into shards. I told him to run to his mother. There were three men." Hannelie told the Kormorant afterwards. "The robbers opened the door and the security door with an axe and entered the house. They threw the axe at Suretha and my mother. My daughter told me to lock the children in the bathroom. I grabbed the baby and ran. Suretha got hold of the axe and attacked the robbers with it. They were driven out of the house, but came back in again. My mother sprayed them with pepper spray and Suretha still threatened them with the axe." Meanwhile, Hannelie pushed the alarm panic button. The women managed to keep the attackers out until Monitor Net security arrived at the scene. "Help was there within five minutes, but it felt like hours." The suspects were surprised by the security team and shots were fired. They then fled quickly. According to Hannelie, one of the attackers was dressed in white and two were wearing blue overalls with reflective strips. Members of the Brits community policing Sector 1 arrived at the scene shortly after the attack. No one was injured during the attack. "If it were not for Suretha, we were all dead. She had a baby six days ago, but fought for us all. " This is not the first time this brave woman protected her parents in a farm attack. The family was also attacked a few years ago. "That night we did not hear the robbers coming in and they confronted my father in his bed. Suretha chased them away with a knife. " The Bottom Line Violence is rampant throughout South Africa. But, the majority of South Africa wants peace between black and white people. Sadly though, with the increasing propaganda and malicious news coverage, that majority could quickly dwindle. The communist, Marxist ANC government is using disinformation in the media, to fill people with hate and convince them to be racist. Together, they are the main instigators of most South African race-related riots. We need to recognise that the real enemies are the irresponsible media and South Africa’s corrupt ANC government. The ANC is busy exploiting their biggest organ, the media, especially SABC, to generate racial division. They use this unwarranted hatred and division to stay in power and to divert the attention of the general public away from the real issues of their incompetence and corruption. Effective and honest administration has not been their legacy, but rather corruption and communism. Many of our leading politicians and political parties collude, working together to purposefully misrepresent the actual condition of the country. They exaggerate the “threat” of white people dominating businesses, of “white racism” and of “majority white land ownership.” According to the government’s own Land Audit report, white owners can be linked indisputably to only 22% of South Africa’s land, most of which is in the Karoo and Kalahari – both of which are semi-deserts. The Institute of Race Relations did a survey, which documented that close on 80% of all respondents - and 77% of black South Africans - agreed that better education and more jobs would in time ‘make the present differences between the races steadily disappear’. Creating more jobs‚ improving education and fighting crime were the three top issues which most South Africans wanted the government to focus on. Two-thirds of all respondents and specifically a 62% of black respondents, agreed that politicians are exaggerating the problems posed by racism and colonialism in order to excuse their own shortcomings. So we can see that actually there is an irresistible and undeniable positivity in race relations. But we need to continue to share the truth and emphasize the importance of discernment when listening to the media. False reports and propaganda are continuously being spread throughout the country by the state-controlled media of South Africa. What Happened to Truth? The media uses propaganda as a tactic to keep the population divided between white and black people of South Africa. They use the mass media. They abuse social media, they write blogs and make comments. “Astroturfing”, is the laying down of fake grassroots. Marketing has a rich history of this. A troll army can be hired if you have the money. In 2011 the PR firm Bell Pottinger told undercover journalists that they could “create and maintain third-party blogs” and spruce up Wikipedia profiles and Google search rankings. There is no doubt that our access to genuine reporting and truth is being stifled. On the other hand, the media loves hate crimes, as it ‘keeps things interesting’. The problem about a lie, is that most of the statement is truth, with only a percentage being false. Just like rat poison is 98% food and only 2% poison. But it’s that 2% that does the damage. It’s that 2% that can kill you if you swallow it. They seem to elucidate everything that is wrong with South Africa, which can be the truth part of the lie. But then they falsely lay the blame and responsibility on the innocent; that is the poison part of the lie. So although they report on the disaster and failure evident all around us, they then twist the facts, spreading information that deliberately tries to mislead people away from the inadequacy of the ANC government. Although they may truthfully report on some of the problems and issues, they are very selective, trying to ensure that they do not report on anything that can lead to exposing their incompetence. Ironically though, they cannot even always get this right. The politicians need a scapegoat to put the blame on. They use someone who can handle it: white people. This disinformation intentionally deceives and causes division. As it is though, there are not enough hate crimes against blacks to go around and therefore lies are necessary and leftist liberal journalists are forced to invent them. The press itself has been manipulated to be a part of the biggest hate crime hoax. By creating this imaginary reality where blacks are constantly being victimised, they are deliberately inspiring them to attack and murder whites. There is no end to the horrendous killings and there is no state intervention to stop these murders. Yet the media chooses to concentrate much of their efforts into demonizing white farmers. Even now during the water crisis in Cape Town, farmers are being accused of being the number one ‘waster’ of water and ‘cause’ of the lack of water. The victimized farmers are even blamed for being attacked, as they didn’t have “good enough security” and “the area was too dark at night” and there were not enough “no trespassing signs” and many other outlandish absurdities. Whatever happened to self-control?! A dark alleyway is not an invitation to mug someone! A woman in skimpy clothing is not an invitation to rape her! Why is it that the victims are the ones in the wrong? Why can no one take responsibility for their own actions? Society has become so grossly backwards and distorted! These farmers are heroes. Even though they are victimized, viciously attacked, falsely accused, left homeless, jobless and family less and have had war raged against them for the last 24 years; they have faithfully stayed and continue to provide food, to keep the very people alive, who are barbarically raging war against them. The government declares that they are trying to take peoples farms - without compensation. This is theft in every aspect of the word. A government is supposed promote the general welfare of its country. Theft, encouraging murder, promoting slander… how is this welfare? Yet the world is turning a blind eye. Donald Trump is portrayed in worldwide media as a white supremacist who is going to destroy America and cause hate and division. But has he actually done any of these things? Has he mobilized a group, encouraging them to kill another group on the basis of race? Has he tried to take away the rights of a specific ethnic group? Has he tried to confiscate private property? If Trump were to do anyone of these things, let alone all of them, the world would be irate! There would be utter chaos. Yet the ANC today and its members throughout the decades, do this and encourage this on a daily basis, yet they not only get away with it, but are applauded for it. The Consequences In 1994, South Africa had 70,000 commercial farmers, feeding approximately 100 Million people all over Africa. Then farmers started to get murdered and have their land taken away and many started fleeing the country. This more than halved the number of farmers. About 10 years ago, we were down to 30,000 farmers, but who amazingly were still managing to feed 40 Million people. Now we have less than 26,000 commercial farmers, so they will be producing for even less than 40 Million, yet our population has increased to 58 Million, which means we are now having to import food, as opposed to before when we were able to export most of our food. This is horrifying for the economy and has never happened before in South African history. Unemployment has gone up by 1 million people for every year the ANC government has been in power since 1994. From less than 5 million in 1994, to almost 30 million now. Almost 50% of South Africa is currently unemployed. These farm attacks will result in more unemployment. The farmers will try to mechanise as much as possible, as a majority of the attacks involve inside men. Land expropriation will lead to a drastic increase in unemployment. It will lead to an increase in starvation. And a major decrease in the economy, as happened in Zimbabwe. Burning of buildings and vehicles, looting of shops, striking from work, none of these things can possibly bring down the price and cost of things. Instead it is increasing the price of everything. Perhaps there are a few benefactors, but in the end someone has to compensate, as nothing in this world is free. VAT has now gone up to 15%, even though the Bible says taxing more than 10% is oppressive. The price of consumer goods will go up. Insurance premiums will go up. Other than the few selfish characters who benefit from such obscenities, the rest of us are left to pay the price! Action It is important that we all seek the truth and have discernment when listening to the media, especially political speeches and addresses. It is important to make wise and well-informed decisions. We need to read unconfirmed articles that don’t spread mainstream propaganda. We need to listen to accurate reports. We need to inform as many people around us as possible about the truth. We need to have respect and love for one another, regardless of past events, demographics, religion, economic status, gender, etc. Being different is not a weakness, it is a strength. Differences aren’t damaging, it is only when people lack respect and love for those who are different, that it is destructive and causes division.
Farm Workers - because many attacks are done by inside men, employees, or people who live in nearby communities, it is mandatory that you and the community are vigilant and truthful. We are given a duty to expose evil. Ephesians 5:11 says, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” You need to take a stand for truth and justice, as this will help to uplift your community. You have power to make a difference by being correctly informed on political situations and voting for a better future. We cannot afford to fall for the short-term empty lies thrown around by corrupt and short-sighted politicians. Rather we must recognise their futility and their endless treachery. If we all stand together against crime, against corruption and against deceit, we can make a difference together. Farmers – you need to treat your farm workers with respect and dignity. They can be absolute assets to your farms and I have heard many farmers exclaim this. Let them know you respect them and treasure them. You must be faultless with how you treat and communicate with your farm workers, so that no one can turn around and try to blame you for improper conduct. This by no means suggests that we can allow people to walk all over us, but rather if people are not working as they should to confront them with respect and loving concern. This is how God commands us in His Word, to treat one another. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 says, “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you…Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.” We are all made in the image of God and deserve to be treated as such. A few tips from people who have been attacked:
“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14 South Africa is our home. It is all of our homes. Both black and white people have been born here. In our passports, our Identity Books, there is no black or white, we are only green. We are South Africans. Friendships have been made, bonds have been formed. We are brothers all aspiring to a common desire – security, peace, freedom. Let us start taking a stand for truth. Let us take a stand against corruption, crime, racism and rabble rousing irresponsible politicians. For evil to flourish, all good people have to do is nothing. Let us not do nothing in this fight for what is right. Let us actively strive for a better tomorrow… together. by Emma Vaughan-Jones Henry Morton Stanley - School of Christian Journalism P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725 Cape Town South Africa Tel: 021-689-4480 [email protected] www.hmsschoolofchristianjournalism.org See also: 9 Steps of Genocide Farms and Freedom Under Fire Security and Survival Handbook
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