Tragedy or tactic? EFF blames farmer in crash, sparking racial debate - Biznews

Terence Corrigan
Thanks in large part to Donald Trump, violence against farmers is back in focus. And since the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have featured prominently in this, it was to be expected that the party would push back with a narrative of its own.

Predictably, this has taken the form of accusing farmers themselves of being the primary instigators of violence.

Their frame of reference was the death of three people in a traffic incident in a small KwaZulu-Natal town.

On the EFF’s version: “The Economic Freedom Fighters expresses its deep anger at the tragic killing of three young Black learners in Dalton, KwaZulu-Natal, by a white farmer who allegedly ran them over with his vehicle. Not only is this a criminal act, but it is also a true reflection of the deep-rooted, racist violence that continues to plague South Africa.

“This heinous crime, which has devastated the families concerned and the larger community, has exposed the real violence in this country. It is the violence against a landless Black majority still subjected to the brutality of white landowners who view Black lives as disposable. The incident in Dalton is not isolated. Across the country, we have witnessed multiple cases where white farmers have targeted Black people.”

The message is clear. A white farmer “callously, even casually, murdered three black children”. This is said to be but an illustration of the daily reality of life on South African farms, and of the destructive role that white farmers have played historically and continue to play in the life of the country.

Subtext
There is a subtext to this. “White farmers are a problem population, people who embody the worst features of South African racism, who have as good as uniformly spurned the post-apartheid ethos. This is a community in need – at best – of heavy-handed rehabilitation, something best achieved by their disappearance as a group. ‘Class suicide’, to appropriate a phrase used by an erstwhile cabinet minister”.

Yet just as the way much has been made of the fallacies of the “white genocide” assertion, so too must claims such as those made by the EFF be scrutinised.

It’s interesting that the party’s anger is expressed now, in May. The incident occurred three months previously, in February. It was reported at the time, although as far as can be determined, it elicited no response from the EFF.

The EFF’s attention seems to stem from recent media coverage, partly relating to the offer of money and gifts from associates of the accused to the family of one of the deceased. It’s not clear exactly what was intended by this; if there was an implied quid pro quo to influence the legal proceedings, it would be a serious matter.

However, since the driver is facing criminal prosecution, it’s by no means clear that this would do much to sway the outcome in any case.

Another reason the case has been in the news is that it involves drunken driving – and it is alleged that this is not the first time this driver has been involved a fatal accident involving alcohol. This detail, arguably the central fact of this case, is entirely absent from the EFF’s statement.

The EFF’s approach is almost pure political narrative.

Not apparent
It is not apparent that those killed were “young black learners”. This has been repeated in a few reports, but also walked back. Newzroom Afrika’s coverage on 27 May, for example, (“Family speaks out after farmer runs over and kills three women”) began by introducing the victims as “learners”, but concluded the report “with the correction that it’s not three learners, but rather three young women who were allegedly knocked down.”

“Learners”, of course – with the implications of childhood innocence – are far more evocative and emotive avatars for the narrative the EFF is seeking to promote.

And while it does appear that the driver was a farmer, that has no conceivable bearing on this case. The incident did not take place on a farm, but in a town, and there is no indication that the victims were farm-dwellers associated with him or his farming activities.

Anyone seeking to make a case about the inequities of the farming economy really has nothing to draw on here. This is the equivalent of producing photos of the Democratic Republic of Congo to validate “white genocide”.

The reality, the tragic reality, is that if every allegation against the driver is proven true, it speaks to an entirely different problem, but a very real one: the often-appalling behaviour on South African roads. Last year, 12,172 people died on our roads, around 45% of them pedestrians. In monetary terms, road accidents cost the country a staggering R217.5bn.

The World Health Organisation put South Africa’s road traffic death rate at 24.5 per 100 000 (based on 2021 figures). This is against a global rate of some 15, and an African rate of 19 – and gives it the 20th highest rate in the 197 countries surveyed.

Concerned

For those concerned about the well-being of South Africa’s children, it’s worth noting that 9.4% of road fatalities are children (under the age of 14), rising to 13.5% among pedestrians. In fact, road accidents are one of the chief causes of death among children.

This reflects a toxic combination of factors, but reckless alcohol-use figures prominently, and it is estimated that 27% of road fatalities involve drunk driving.

If anything, the tragic death of these three young women speaks to the latter set of crises. That the driver in this case was a farmer is incidental. Farmers are – contra the views of their critics – South Africans like their peers, with similar virtues and vices. It’s hardly surprising that some would be among the millions in the country with an unhealthy relationship with alcohol and a disregard for traffic safety.   

As it happens, a family matriarch of one of the deceased women alluded to this to a journalist: “It hurts because if it weren’t for that [alcohol], the child would still be here. It hurts a lot.”

South Africa is a massively challenged society. Its problems demand serious and sober deliberation. And real solutions. The EFF’s position is about division, animosity, and conflict. Politically, solutions may well be threatening – after all, why deal with a problem, when it will deprive one of an enemy to fight against?

Terence Corrigan is the Project Manager at the Institute, where he specialises in work on property rights, as well as land and mining policy

https://www.biznews.com/rational-perspective/tragedy-tactic-eff-blames-farmer-crash-racial-debate

This article was first published on the Daily Friend.