NKZN farmers debunk Trump’s mass graves claim

NKZN farmers have refuted claims made by United States President Donald Trump after he played a video to President Cyril Ramaphosa, wrongly describing it as the ‘burial site of over a thousand white farmers’.

Words alone cannot express the shock and pain, Sandy Hill felt when a video of the motorcade from Newcastle to the Normandien farm of Glen and Vida Rafferty came up in the Oval Office last Wednesday …

A unexpected and unpleasant visual reminder of the great loss of two of her closest friends.

The best she could muster to describe it, was, “It was surreal. It was like pulling a scab off an old wound again.”

United States President Donald Trump played the video to President Cyril Ramaphosa saying that it depicted the ‘burial site of over a thousand white farmers’ and that the cars that were ‘lined up’ had ‘stopped there to pay respect to their family members who were killed’.

Pointing to the screen on which the video was playing, Trump stated, “Each one of those white things that you see is a cross and there’s approximately about a thousand of them. They’re all white farmers.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he later added, “Both sides of the road you have crosses. Those people were all killed.”

“Have they told you were that is Mr President? I’d like to know where that is because this I’ve never seen,” responded Ramaphosa.

The motorcade took place on September 5, 2020, with the vehicles that participated first passing through an ‘avenue of crosses’ which led from the Horn River to a large overhead banner asking, “President Ramaphosa, how many more must die???”

At the time, organisers of the motorcade explained that the crosses erected on either side of the road for the event, were a symbolic representation of the lives lost on farms over the years.

Those who chose to continue with the journey to the Rafferty’s farm after passing beneath the banner, paid tribute to the couple, leaving flowers, tying a ribbon, or simply offering a silent prayer at the gate.

Besides paying tribute to the Rafferty couple, thousands of supporters, of diverse races, participated in what was a peaceful protest on September 5, 2020, urging government to bring an end to farm murders.

KZN Premier, Sihle Zikalala, and Police Minister, Bheki Cele, are among the high-ranking government officials who answered the call, hosting public engagements intended to resolve issues between farm dwellers and farm owners, which could escalate to violence.

“You would think that two presidents and the people who brief them would have a little more information about what actually happened. America has the best intelligence. I can’t believe they would brief him (Trump) so poorly,” Hill remarked about Trump’s interaction with Ramaphosa in the Oval Office.

“To my knowledge, Rob Hoatson (a local farmer) made the crosses and put them up on the route to the funeral as a tribute to Glen and Vida and as a symbolic reminder of the devastating farm murders that have taken place. It is not a burial ground with each cross representing an individual farmer. It’s not a national monument. It was up for 48 hours before it was taken down. I saw them again as we were driving to Tollie Nel’s funeral last year,” she explained.

Nel (63), an accomplished farmer and respected businessman, was shot dead on June 13, during a farm attack at his residence on Krommellenboog Farm, along the R34 between Newcastle and Utrecht. No arrests have yet been made in connection with his murder.

Besides representing a call to police and government to prioritise farm attacks and farm murders, the crosses also stood as a symbol of solidarity among local farmers.

“It helps us to remember that we’re all people,” said Hill.

“That said, I have been doing some reading and I understand that the number of farmers who are killed is far less that the number of ordinary people being killed. Intellectually that makes sense, but emotionally, it’s hard to swallow,” she continued.

“Farmers are actively contributing to our economy and food stability. They are the backbone of the South African economy. I am not talking about white genocide because the killing of any race is wrong, but if our farmers keep dying, we are going to have food poverty. Something needs to be done to protect our farmers. This issue should not be a political agenda, it should be a humanitarian cause to protect our people and keep them safe.”

Roland Collyer, a relative of the Rafferty’s and member of the Normandien Farmers Association declined to comment saying a decision had been taken within the Association not to speak to the media as this could damage the relationship with America, which is trying to help and protect South African farmers.

In a press statement he released on May 22, Rob Hoatson confirmed that he took the aerial video showing thousands of people along a 20km stretch of road with white crosses, and that the procession was prompted by the killing of Glen and Vida Rafferty.

“The large, spontaneous attendance at this community event bears testament to the scale and seriousness of the problem,” stated Hoatson. “While the rhetoric and the legislation are primarily directed against white people, their destructive consequences are jeopardising the future of everyone and all communities in this country.”

“I am grateful that farm murders have risen to international prominence and I sincerely hope they receive the serious attention they deserve,” he concluded.

ALSO READ: NEWCASTLE ADVERTISER: Procession to Normandien stretches across many kilometres

ALSO READ: Fact check: Trump’s South Africa ‘genocide’ claim is wrong

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