Dying diggers of Namaqualand need saving
| by Willie Aucamp, MP – DA Constituency Head of Kalahari |
| Date: 12 October 2020 |
| Release: Immediate |
| Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbites in English & Afrikaans from Willie Aucamp, MP. The Democratic Alliance (DA) strongly condemns the vicious mugging of an elderly farmer in the Kuruman Central Business District (CBD) on the weekend.A video clip of the mugging that is going viral (see here), shows how 65-year old Mr Giep Niemann was attacked, thrown to the floor, overpowered by four assailants and robbed of his possessions by a group of men in broad daylight on Saturday. Also concerning is how bystanders simply watched, with no one daring to get involved and help Mr Niemann.This is not an isolated incident. The area where Mr Niemann was robbed is a known crime hotspot and citizens needing to visit this part of Kuruman town have become sitting ducks.The DA is angered by the increasingly brazen attitude of criminals, who do not seem to care who sees them, and who definitely don’t care about harming the victims that they stake out and pounce on.It is no wonder that people simply do not feel safe anywhere anymore, as crime spirals out of control.It is unfathomable as to why the police do not act against such unscrupulous criminals. It is no secret who they are and where they are operating from. Why then are they still free to walk the streets and terrorize citizens?While one can understand why members of the public are perhaps scared to involve themselves in such attacks, there can be no justification as to why the police are failing to apprehend and convict the perpetrators of these attacks.DA councillor in Kuruman, Braam van der Westhuizen, today already spoke to the local chief of public order policing, Colonel Phete, while I have made a follow-up appointment with General Johan Bean for Friday, to address our concerns regarding the increase in crime in Kuruman, as well as the worrying lack of policing.Lawlessness cannot be allowed to flourish, while people simultaneously seem to become desensitized to crime. This is a recipe for anarchy and must be urgently addressed in order to safeguard the country’s democracy and all of its citizens. |
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