In a discussion focusing on farm attacks, AfriForum's Head of Policy and Action Ernst Roets told Zahid Jadwat on The Special Focus that they are not expecting government to solve the problem of farm attacks exclusively.
"Communities must become more involved" is what he suggested instead. The discussion on The Special Focus focused on farm attacks which have shocked South Africans, not without controversy, and has sparked international discussion. Given that majority of farmers in South Africa are white, there has been an ongoing discussion amongst White nationalists that farm attacks have been racially motivated. However, Ernst Roets believes that there hasn't been sufficient research to determine what the motives of farm attacks are. "There is a variety of factors. An attacker can have multiple motives." Roets added that "You can attack a farm because you are poor and you want money and while that may be your motivation, you could also have a racial motivation. You say 'I want to steal from from someone but I don't want to steal from someone that has the same colour as me'." In the interview, Ernst Roets also rebuked certain claims portraying AfriForum as a 'White nationalist' movement. "As a matter-of-fact, AfriForum has taken a public stance against White nationalism." "We are a minority rights organization. We want to protect the rights of minority groups in South Africa and we are an Afrikaans organization." "We have multiple cases with the Press Ombudsman with regards to news outlets describing AfriForum as an organization that promotes the 'White genocide' narrative." You can listen to a podcast of the full interview below:
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AuthorZahid Jadwat is a South African writer, columnist, podcaster and radio show host. Archives
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