The minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development, Thoko Didiza, has urged SAPS to do everything in their power to find those behind the killing of a 21-year-old Free State farm manager.
The police found the body of Brendin Horner tied to a pole in an open space on De Rots farm in Paul Roux, west of Bethlehem, early on Friday morning. It is understood that neighbouring farmers alerted the police of the attack.
A shocked Didiza condemning Horner’s senseless killing saying, “I can’t over emphasise the role played by both farmers and workers in the food production value chain. Their killing has a devastating effect on our sector.”
In passing her condolences to Horner’s family, friends and colleagues, Didiza also called on the police to take urgent action. “I urge law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in their investigation and arrest of the culprits.”
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In a media statement, Free State police spokesperson brig. Motantsi Makhele confirmed that Horner sustained injuries on his head and face. His blood-stained Toyota Hilux vehicle was later found abandoned near Duikfontein farm, also in Paul Roux. Details are still sketchy, but from what is gathered at this point in time, Horner went missing on Thursday evening already after leaving his father’s farm. When at 22:00 he still hadn’t arrived home, the family went looking for him, but couldn’t find him.
Didiza remembers District Six activist
The death of the young farmer comes at a time when Didiza is also mourning the loss of activist Dr Anwah Nagia, the chairperson of the District 6 Beneficiary Trust. Nagia was a lifelong activist and stalwart for the District Six community in Cape Town.
As founder and chairperson of the trust, he was signatory to the restitution settlement for the redevelopment of District 6. Nagia has been involved in many contemporary and national issues and has spoken and lectured in Sweden, Denmark and United Kingdom. In the late 1980’s he was responsible for setting up learnerships for adult basic education in the clothing factories. In the mid-1990’s he was the deputy chairperson of the Western Cape Nursing Council of South Africa.
Didiza said, “Dr Nagia will also be remembered for serving his community through his numerous roles in heritage preservation, academia, social activism and philanthropy. His vision and leadership ensured a redevelopment process where the displaced multicultural community of District 6 could return to their rightful place in Cape Town.”
