Dianne Kohler Barnard

Dear MyPE After the soapie-like shenanigans of the President’s sister-in-law seven months ago, Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe is hitting the headlines once again as she plays ducks and drakes with the Hawks. Unlike Isidingo, this soapie looks to run and run. Just in time to take some of the spotlight off the State of the Nation Address, it is reported that she is avoiding answering questions into her latest money-laundering scandal in Botswana. In July last year, a $10 billion case linking … [Read more...] about Oops, she’s done it again…

Dear MyPE In the face of complete radio silence from Parliament as the treasonous looting of South Africa via the State Security Agency (SSA) is exposed daily at the Zondo Commission, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to Minister Ayanda Dlodlo asking that she drives the total shutdown of the Agency. She must ensure that every single person linked to the Agency is examined under a microscope. These acts of theft, as revealed one-by-one every day this week, we believe have clearly … [Read more...] about Minister Dlodlo must disband captured State Security Agency

Dear MyPE 746 day ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa told the world via an interview in New York, that no farmers were being killed in South Africa. Yet in the year he made that claim, there were 394 attacks and 56 murders. In 2019, there were 419 attacks and 56 murders. And in 2020 there have been some 200 attacks, and over 50 murders to date. In June, the Democratic Alliance (DA) launched an awareness campaign and asked the President not only to retract that statement, but additionally to … [Read more...] about Ramaphosa’s words on farm murders ring hollow, we need to see action

Dear MyPE The moment the Democratic Alliance (DA) launched its 16 Point Plan in June, aimed at forcing a razor focus on farm attacks and murders, the ANC suddenly flipped its compassion switch. Overnight it began to take an interest – via Premiers and various Ministers – in the tortures and general horrors of South African farm attacks. They began to speak out against these atrocities. We almost believed them. One of the focus areas on our 16-point plan was to have farm attacks and murders … [Read more...] about Cele confirms that farmers’ lives don’t matter

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on all political parties that pledged their support to the farming community in Parliament's Debate of National Importance on farm murders to band together and demand the immediate and effective implementation of the Rural Safety Plan. We welcome the 180-degree turn by the ANC which has suddenly decided that the murderous farm attacks are serious and need to be addressed. First, it was the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Sihle Zikalala, who broke … [Read more...] about Farm Murders: Time for all parties to band together to demand immediate implementation of rural safety strategies

Dear MyPE The annual crime statistic released on Friday show that another 49 farmers were slaughtered last year - four every month - while reliable reports tell us that another 26 farmers and farm workers have been murdered in the first half of this year during some 141 attacks. Farmers, farm workers, their families and their visitors, of all races, are at enormous threat. In the last 10 years 612 of them have been murdered, and there have been 2818 attacks on farms – leaving many maimed, … [Read more...] about Farm Attacks: The line is drawn in the sand

dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) strongly condemns the farm attack on the Brand family on their smallholding in the Northern Cape. Danie (83) and Breggie (79) Brand, retired farmers, as well as their visiting daughter Elzabie (50), were allegedly attacked on Sunday on their farm at Magogong-plots in Hartswater, Northern Cape. It was only the following day, after repeated calls, that their house was visited, and the alarm raised. One of their two stolen vehicles was found abandoned … [Read more...] about Mr President, will you ignore the Brand family farm attack, too?

Dear MyPE An open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Farm Murders Mr President, On September 26, 2018 you spoke to financial news service Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Bloomberg Global Business Forum in New York. In the interview, you said that there were "no killings of farmers… white farmers in South Africa.” In fact farmers (black and white), farm workers (black and white), and visitors to farms (black and white) were being killed, and are still being killed today. These … [Read more...] about Farm Murders? What Farm Murders?

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has launched a nation-wide Court Watching Briefs Unit as a means to specifically assist in farm attacks and to put those attackers behind bars. The situation in our rural areas is now beyond urgent, with a sharp rise in terrible attacks and murders in June. There were two further attacks in KwaZulu-Natal just last night. In 2001 for every 100 violent crimes (murder, rape and aggravated robbery) reported to the police, in only six cases had the … [Read more...] about Rural Safety Court Watching Briefs Unit Launched

Dear MyPE Like a bad episode of Isidingo, the shenanigans surrounding the President’s sister in law, the Minister of State Security, an affair, a coup and a foreign country has South Africans shaking their heads in disbelief. Who but President Cyril Ramaphosa would think he had the right to allegedly send this country’s Minister of State Security to Botswana to try and strong-arm their President into dropping charges of money laundering and the financing of a coup attempt against his … [Read more...] about The Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe soapie

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on President Cyril Ramaphosa to tell South Africa what his government will be doing to address the long-ignored and again increasing numbers of farm attacks and farm murders. Or is he going to continue to pretend that they are not happening, as he did in an infamous 2018 interview? Since the DA requested a debate of national importance in the National Assembly last week, there has not been a peep from the side of government indicating that it is … [Read more...] about Farm Murders: When will you speak up, Mister President?