Riekie Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 I don't post articles about South Africa on the forum and I generally don't read them either but this article appeared in Australia news and while reading it I had to stop to compose myself enough to continue. I cannot imagine what this family went through and those kids!!!! It rips your heart in pieces that there are people in this world who have no soul and no conscience! https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/mum-shot-and-raped-in-front-of-her-children-after-gunman-broke-into-home/news-story/dd85df9b39f648c683759a9267ac9857 I know that South Africans don't "qualify" as "refugees" under the UN convention but surely there must be something that can be done to allow people who want to leave and start a better life to be able to do that. They've done it many times out of compassion in other instances where a situation did not meet the requirements of current immigration laws. Why not allow a grace period of a few months where farmers can enter under a special visa? Something like a "leave now or stay there" type special provision? If I had that opportunity I'd be on the next flight out - I'll leave everything: farm, furniture, money, everything to get out and save my kids! I honestly don't even know where to start but I can't sit and watch people including children and defenseless old people being raped, tortured and murdered just for the sake of it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM17 Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 @Riekie i have been following this for a while, We are from PE (arrived in Sydney August 2018) my wife and I know the family. (not personally but PE is small) She has been appearing on videos with Solidarity/Afriform trying to raise awareness about farm murders I have probably read 7 or 8 different articles about this case and every time it shocks me, I honestly dont know how you carry on after something like that...anyway I am hoping Mr Dutton (he likes SA farmers) can find a workable solution. When I tell my family back in SA how farmers are respected and loved in Australia - they cant believe it , and we agree its the way it should be, they feed us all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RYLC Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 (edited) I noticed a Facebook group which seems to be focused on helping farmers: Boere Maak n Plan in Oz and in March Scott Morrison said that farmers can access regional visas https://www.sbs.com.au/news/pm-backs-current-schemes-to-fill-farm-jobs. The National Farmers' Federation is pushing for more farmers so they are on board too. "Earlier this week, the government added a host of farm jobs to the Regional Occupations List to allow migrants to be sponsored for up to four years." After reading up a bit, I wondered who to suggest it to that it could work to get a few farming families from the same district in RSA to band together and move together. That way they could pool their resources and also have an inbuilt support structure and "geselskap", particularly if they are Afrikaans. I wonder if this would work and how to make it happen? So many people are desperate to leave... Edited June 20, 2019 by RYLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted June 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 It is such a desperate situation to find yourself in. I've also seen the flip side though where people who were victims of horrible crimes would not leave even if they could... I honestly don't get that. That's actually one of the reasons why South Africans are not viewed as refugees: people can leave but won't, people willingly return and people go back for holidays/to visit family. If you were truly persecuted and feared for your life based on any of the UN criteria but you choose to go back, then that basically says it is safe enough to do so. There are people in refugee camps for generations in Sudan for instance where they fled persecution and are too afraid to go back, just waiting for a turn to get a new life. I wonder if you create a refugee camp for South Africans outside the borders which may involve a long wait (even a short wait) to be processed, how many would actually go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM17 Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 PS -- https://www.change.org/p/hon-david-coleman-mp-save-south-african-farmer-nicky-and-her-family Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2forum Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 it isa good point in terms of peoples' plight though it opens a can of worms in counter arguments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duggen Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 (edited) People living on the Cape Flats have a much much higher chance of being murdered than any one else in South Africa, perhaps we should be advocating that they are "saved" first...... or are they less important? Edited June 21, 2019 by Duggen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitchie Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 59 minutes ago, Duggen said: People living on the Cape Flats have a much much higher chance of being murdered than any one else in South Africa, perhaps we should be advocating that they are "saved" first...... or are they less important? At least the people on the Cape Flats are not also singled out for their skin colour by the government by active policies trying to exclude them from the economy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uVicta Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 (edited) 14 hours ago, vitchie said: At least the people on the Cape Flats are not also singled out for their skin colour by the government by active policies trying to exclude them from the economy. Actually, The Cape Flats consists of people who were placed there by a government, based on their skin colour and subjected to lawful policies, at the time, that made them second class citizens, solely based on their skin colour! These "active policies" (although they are badly managed) are meant to include all people into the economy and are not meant to exclude anyone. You cannot be excluded from something you already participate in. Edited June 21, 2019 by uVicta 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted June 29, 2019 Report Share Posted June 29, 2019 (edited) @Duggen when you hijack someones post about how concerned they are about farmers, to make a post about how someone else is worse off it make me wonder what your point it. Why dont we skip south Africa and talk about Ethiopians, how much should we be sending to Venezuela, there are kids starving to death there right? There is always someone worse off and all comments like yours do is convince people that it is better doing nothing, derailing a post on how people who are suffering could be helped by telling the people that they should be looking at some other group is not helpful, leave people who are interested in helping a group who is suffering to do so and if you have a group you are interested in helping go ahead and do so. I am looking forwards to your posts on what you are doing to help the people on the cape flats Edited June 29, 2019 by Nev 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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