A West Coast oompie was allegedly called a “hotnot”, kidnapped and beaten up by a farmer at the weekend.
The 64-year-old man from Vredenburg was visiting his friend on a plaas in Hopefield and was walking alone on Sunday evening when the boer in sy bakkie approached him and assaulted him.
Speaking on behalf of the victim, Billy Claasen, the executive director for the Rural and Farmworkers Development Organisation condemned the brutal assault.
Claasen says: “The suspect said to the victim, ‘venaand donner ek jou dood (tonight I’ll beat you to death), hotnot’ This statement constitutes both racism and hate speech.”
“It is alleged that the assault took place on Sunday evening on the suspect's farm.
Reports indicate that the victim was beaten with a metal paal all over his body, driving around in the bakkie and repeatedly assaulted before being dumped on the side of the road.
Claasen adds: “We condemn this incident because violence against disabled people, elderly individuals, women, and children has become rampant. Too many vulnerable persons are being hurt or killed. It is a pandemic of violence.”
The Western Cape police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, confirmed a case has been opened with police.
He reports: “An assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm (GBH) was opened and registered on Monday night (2 December) at Vredenburg SAPS, relating to the incident that took place on Sunday, December 1, at 8pm at a farm in the Hopefield area
“The complainant stated that a male drove up to him with his light duty vehicle (LDV) and he was assaulted by this male.”
Van Wyk said no arrests have been made yet, with Claasen calling out the Hopefield police.
He says: “It’s shocking that no arrests have been made so far.
“The Hopefield police are known for their lenient approach toward farmers and/or white individuals. This needs to change.
“We call on the national commissioner to intervene and urge them to deploy detectives from outside Hopefield to investigate this case thoroughly.”
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