AfriForum condemns “Kill the Boer” message by Free State Municipal Director, calls for her dismissal

AfriForum today strongly condemned a WhatsApp message sent to a senior management group of the Nketoana Local Municipality in the Free State, in which a director allegedly wrote “The best is to kill the Boer”. The civil rights organisation also called for the immediate dismissal of the concerned director, Disebo Motaung, and labelled this alleged comment as racist and encouraging violence.

Motaung’s full message to the management group reads, according to information, as follows: “Joo MM still we are exposed to danger We need to have guns that’s all We are not protected by the or the banks The best is to kill the Boer”. This statement was followed by an emoji of a hand with crossed fingers. This symbol is generally used to express hope for a positive outcome.

According to AfriForum, this alleged message by a senior public official is extremely alarming, encourages division and hatred, and has the potential for violent action.

“Public officials are expected to lead by example and promote peace and unity within their communities. However, when a leader advocates for violence, they put lives at risk,” says Jacques Broodryk, AfriForum’s Chief Spokesperson for Community Safety.

The gravity of such a statement cannot be overstated. “In a country where violent attacks on farmers are a harsh reality, such statements cannot simply be accepted.”

Broodryk emphasises that the scale and severity of farm attacks still remain a serious problem. AfriForum’s latest report on farm attacks and murders shows that 49 farm murders (0,94 murders per week) took place during 2023 in 296 attacks (or 5,7 farm attacks per week).