Police chief shocks with remarks on farm murders – CDP
The Christian Democratic Party (CDP) expressed concern with police chief Riah Phiyega’s statement made during the Human Rights Commission’s enquiry into farm murders, that no distinction can be drawn between a murder in a shebeen and a farm murder.
“One would expect more judicial knowledge from a minister of police. The courts indeed draw a huge distinction between a drunken fight in a liquor joint, and when innocent people are attacked in a carefully planned operation, brutally assaulted and killed in the most horrific
way. In many cases the victims were ambushed when returning from church,” says CDP leader, Rev. Theunis Botha.
“We strongly condemn these comparisons, and regard the commissioner’s statement as showing a lack of understanding of the seriousness of the matters she is responsible for.
“The appeals court drew a clear distinction between dolus directus and dolus eventualis (the perpetrator objectively foresees the possibility of his act causing death and persists regardless of the consequences). In the Oscar Pistorius case the judge even decided that the killing did not meet the requirements of dolus eventualis, and found Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide.
“Surely the chief of police should know this. A premeditated farm murder is a far cry from someone losing their life in a pub brawl.
“Loss of life is tragic, irrespective of how one dies, and especially when they are murdered. Surely, a police chief cannot direct policing and the safety of people when attacks on law abiding citizens are treated in the same way as people who engage in drunken fights and die as a consequence thereof.”
“We demand a public apology on behalf of all of those who have lost family members as a result of farm murders.”
Afrikaans Version:
Polisiehoof skok met stelling oor plaasmoorde CDP
Die Christen-Demokratiese Party (CDP) het met afkeuring gereageer op stellings van die polisiehoof, Riah Phiyega, tydens die Menseragtekommissie se ondersoek na plaasaanvalle, deur te sê daar is geen onderskeid tussen die moord in ‘n sjebien en ‘n plaasmoord nie.
“’n Mens sou meer regskennis van ‘n polisiehoof verwag. Die howe tref beslis ‘n groot onderskeid tussen ‘n dronknes-geveg in ‘n drankhool, en wanneer onskuldige mense tydens ‘n versigtig-beplande aanval voorgelê word, wreed aangerand word en op die grusaamste wyse denkbaar vermoor word. In baie gevalle het die plaasmense van ‘n kerkdiens teruggekeer,” sê ds. Theunis Botha, leier van die CDP.
“Ons veroordeel in die sterkste moontlike taal hierdie vergelykings, en beskou die kommissaris se opmerkings as ‘n aanduiding dat sy nie ‘n benul oor die erns van die sake waarvoor sy verantwoordelik is nie
“Die appèlhof het ‘n duidelike onderskeid getref tussen dolus eventualis (die oortreder voorsien objektief dat sy daad die dood van die slagoffer kan veroorsaak en gaan voort ongeag die gevolge), en dolus directus. In die Oscar Pistoriussaak het die regter besluit dat die doodslag nie aan die maatstawwe van dolus eventualis voldoen nie, en het Pistorius aan strafbare manslag skuldig bevind.
“Die hoof van die polisie behoort tog hiervan kennis te dra. Daar is ‘n baie groot verskil tussen moord met voorbedagte rade en iemand wat sy lewe in ‘n kroeggeveg verloor.
“Die verlies aan lewe is tragies, ongeag hoe iemand sterf, veral as die persoon vermoor is. ‘n Polisiehoof kan tog nie die polisie bestuur, en die veiligheid van mense prioritiseer sonder om besondere aandag te skenk aan die wetsgehoorsame burgers, deur hulle op dieselfde wyse te hanteer as mense wat in dronknesbakleierye betrokke raak nie, en die hoogste tol betaal.
”Ons dring namens almal wat gesinslede in plaasmoorde verloor het aan op ‘n openbare verskoning van die minister.”
