Farmers and friends demand justice
Residents of Nkomazi are encouraged to show a united front against crime by attending the court case of the Van den Berg murder accused.
MALALANE- Residents of Nkomazi are encouraged to show a united front against crime by attending the court case of the Van den Berg murder accused.
During their first appearance, hundreds of concerned farmers and residents attended court. Mr Riaan Van den Berg was killed in cold blood earlier this year.
Born and raised in this area, he was well known and loved by many. While his killers remain locked up for now, they will appear in the Malalane Periodical Court on Wednesday July 30. They will aplly for bail.
These past few years numerous tragic and traumatic events involving murder, assault, rape and robbery have impacted the Nkomazi area.
Instead of accepting this as the norm, there have been many occasions wherein civilians and organisations from all walks of life came together during emergencies, and effectively collaborated to make our region a safer place to live in.
This is according to Mel Preddy, chairman of the Malalane Against Crime (MAC).
“The SAPS has been able to make many significant arrests mainly because of this cooperation between the community and the police,” Preddy said.
According to Preddy, putting violent criminals behind bars does not stop at arrests. They have to be prosecuted, and in order for this to be done successfully, every aspect of each case has to be handled meticulously and correctly.
The process starts with a succesful arrest, then it becomes the responsibility of a state prosecutor in conjunction with the SAPS officer handling the case.
If done properly, prosecution results in a conviction which means that the state finally recognises the guilt of the person and the nature of the crime.
“This allows sentencing to take place, which is a separate matter. A magistrate or judge is obliged to consider all the factors in sentencing a criminal. One of these is the effect that the crime had on the community in which it was committed.
In this context and given the severe and traumatic nature of the crimes perpetrated, it remains important that those affected maintain a keen interest whether through court attendance or otherwise communicating concerns to the authorities involved.
The outcome of their trial will inform everyone whether government takes its responsibility seriously of protecting law-abiding citizens from being treated like animals and culled for gain”, concluded Preddy.
