Premier Ntombela outraged by acts of criminality in Senekal

Premier Sefora Ntombela has noted with shock the criminality which ensued at the Senekal Magistrate’s court today, 06 October 2020.

Premier Ntombela wishes to reiterate that she abhors the senseless killings of both farmers and farm workers. The callous killing of Brandon Horner, which sparked today’s ugly scenes in Senekal, was an act of savage criminality which must be condemned by all law abiding citizens of our province. The Premier views these barbaric killings, unleashed on both the farmers and farm workers, in a serious light, given the critical role played by this economic sector as a primary source of food security in the Free State province, and by extension, South Africa at large.

While Premier Ntombela shares in the grief of Mr. Horner’s unfortunate death, she has equally expressed outrage at the conduct of farmers in court earlier today. Police vehicles were destroyed and there was melee inside the courtroom as some farmers tried to force their way inside where the suspects in the murder of Mr. Horner appeared.

The criminal actions which took place at the Senekal magistrate court today signifies a direct attack on the constitutional foundations of our country. The attack on the police and damage to state property, particularly the courts of our country can never be tolerated. There is no amount of justification for such an attack on our law enforcement organs.

The Premier is convinced that perpetrators must be brought to book and the full might of the law exercised. Any destruction of state property is a direct assault on the taxpayers and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. We must never be lenient against such acts of blatant criminality regardless of who the perpetrator is.

We are committed to building a Free State that is peaceful and free of any form of criminality. This is the vision we will continue to work hard towards, and will not allow any criminal acts to soil the progress we are already recording in this regard. We urge all our people to work with their government in building a prosperous, peaceful and economically stable province.

“I will be meeting MEC Mashinini tomorrow morning for a briefing regarding today’s unfortunate incidents. We must always ensure that the confidence of our people remains intact in our police in particular and their government in general. There is no place for criminals in our province” said Premier Ntombela.

Source: Government of South Africa