South Africa: older people most at risk of farm attacks
Farms in South Africa's Gauteng province were the most vulnerable to attack, according to a new book by trade union Solidarity.
The region accounted for a fifth of farm attacks recorded from 1990 to 2012 in  "Treurgrond: Die Realiteit van Plaasaanvalle"  or "Place
of Sorrow: The Reality of Farm Attacks".
The book adds an additional 700 cases to its first edition, totalling  3,319 attacks,  5,818 direct victims and around 1,600 murders, website Farmersweekly.co.za reported.
In contrast to Gauteng, the Northern Cape was the safest province, with 1.6% of attacks, www.timeslive.co.za said.
According to the South African website, older individuals were the most targeted. 42.6% of farm attack victims were over age 61 and 62.7% were over 51.
On average, the attacks had three assailants. Some cases had as many as 10.
The book is currently available only in Afrikaans, although there are plans to translate the work into English.
Co-compiler Dr. Dirk Hermann said in www.farmersweekly.co.za that the first edition in English saw great success and that he hoped to further raise awareness on the issue with the updated publication.
Photo: Memorial for farm attack victims in South Africa. I90Christian via Wikimedia Commons
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