Landsburgers het ’n reg om hulself te beskerm | Citizens have the right to protect themselves

English to follow

1 Junie 2021

“Die moord Sondagoggend op John Viedge van die plaas Highlands buite Nqanarhu (Maclear) word ten sterkste veroordeel. Die moord plaas weer eens die kollig op die kwesbaarheid van die boerderygemeenskap en die lafhartigheid van misdadigers wat selfs sal moor om hul doelwitte te bereik,” sê Uys van der Westhuijzen, voorsitter van Agri SA se Sentrum van Uitnemendheid: Landelike Beveiliging.

Die Grondwet bepaal dat die reg tot lewe en menswaardigheid van die belangrikste menseregte is en die Nasionale Ontwikkelingsplan bevestig ook die reg op persoonlike veiligheid. “Daarom moet landsburgers die reg hê om hulleself op ’n wettige wyse te beskerm.”

In ’n land met een van die hoogste moordsyfers ter wêreld is dit ondenkbaar dat gemeenskappe nie die reg tot lewe kan uitoefen deur hulleself te beskerm indien die polisie hul sin sou kry om die Wet op Beheer van Vuurwapens te wysig en daarmee saam die reg tot selfverdediging uit die wet te skrap, meen Van der Westhuijzen.

Die onlangse misdaadstatistieke van die polisie dui nie net ’n toename aan in die moordsyfer vir die vierde kwartaal nie maar wys ook daarop dat huisrowe nog hoogty vier. Huisrowe is van die misdrywe waaraan die boerderygemeenskap en mede-landsburgers die meeste blootgestel is en gevrees word. “Misdadigers sal elke denkbare wapen gebruik om hul doelwitte te bereik en daarom is dit nodig dat landsburgers hulself moet kan verdedig.”

Wetsgehoorsame landsburgers mag nie van die geleentheid ontneem word om ’n wettige vuurwapen te besit om hulle en hul gesinne teen gewelddadige misdaad te beskerm wanneer hul lewe bedreig word nie, maan Van der Westhuijzen.

Hy spreek die vertroue uit dat alle landsburgers hul stem sal laat hoor en die skrapping van Artikel 13 van die Wet op die Beheer van Vuurwapens ten sterkste sal teenstaan. “Dit word ook vertrou dat die polisie ag sal slaan op wat die meerderheid landsburgers in dié verband sê.”

Navrae:

Kobus Visser

Direkteur: Agri SA Landelike Veiligheid en Provinsiale Sake

Uys van der Westhuijzen

Voorsitter van Agri SA se Sentrum van Uitnemendheid: Landelike Veiligheid

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1 June 2021

“The murder on Sunday morning of John Viedge of the farm Highlands, outside Nqanarhu (Maclear), is condemned in the strongest terms. This murder once again highlights the vulnerability of the farming community and the cowardice of criminals, who will even resort to murder to achieve their objectives,” says Uys van der Westhuijzen, chair of Agri SA’s Centre of Excellence: Rural Safety.

The Constitution describes the right to life and dignity as one of the most important human rights, and the National Development Plan also confirms the right to personal safety. “For this reason, all citizens should have the right to protect themselves in a legal manner,” says Van der Westhuijzen.

In a country with one of the highest murder figures in the world, it is unthinkable that communities cannot exercise their right to life by protecting themselves, which will be the case if the police succeed in amending the Firearms Control Act by scrapping the right to self-defence.

Recent crime statistics released by the police not only indicate an increase in the murder figure for the fourth quarter, but also confirm that home robberies remain rife. Home robberies are the crimes most feared by the farming community and fellow citizens and to which they are most exposed. “Criminals will use any weapon conceivable to achieve their objectives; therefore, it is important that citizens are able to defend themselves.”

Law-biding citizens may not be deprived of the opportunity to own a legal firearm to protect themselves and their families against violent crime when their lives are threatened. “We believe that all citizens will make themselves heard and strongly oppose the scrapping of section 13 of the Firearms Control Act. We hope the police will heed what the majority of South Africans have to say in this regard,” Van der Westhuijzen says.

Enquiries:

Kobus Visser

Director: Agri SA Rural Safety & Provincial Affairs

Uys van der Westhuijzen

Chair of Agri SA’s Centre of Excellence: Rural Safety