Estelle Buchner's anguish over the death of her husband in a robbery last year was still palpable when police minister Bheki Cele released South Africa's crime statistics this week.
Dairy farmer Werner Buchner, former board chair of Clover Industries in South Africa, was shot in the back by three intruders who also beat Estelle on Boslaagte Paterson farm in Nanaga near Gqeberha.
Their son was shot but survived the September 5 attack, for which no-one has been arrested.
In a letter through her lawyer, William Booth, earlier this year, Estelle, who hired forensic investigators to gather evidence, appealed to Cele, justice minister Ronald Lamola and agriculture minister Thoko Didiza to speed up the investigation.
The police minister this week confirmed an increase in violent crime in the second quarter in the Eastern Cape. Murders (1,303) were up more than 30% compared with the same period last year.
In her letter, Estelle said she “assisted the police by engaging forensic experts to investigate the matter and supply all necessary information”, but believed the investigating officer lacked resources.
“As you are aware, farm attacks have reached an unacceptable level, not only in the Eastern Cape, but throughout South Africa. Farmers play an extremely essential role in the economy of our country, but have to live under constant threat of attack.
“My husband studied engineering and then worked for Denel. He was a pioneer in developing infrared cameras.”
He then took over the family farm.
“Our kids had just started school and it made better sense to have a home life because I never saw my husband. He travelled a lot.
“On our farm there are generations of farm workers. Their grandfather worked for Werner’s grandfather and the father worked for my father-in-law,” reads the letter.
Tearfully recalling the attack, Estelle said: “One of them took my handbag ... and slung it over his shoulder. What they got was [a small amount of] cash ... my son’s watch that he got for his 21st birthday. I have two emotions, sadness and anger.”
Having relocated to Pretoria, Estelle went back to the farm for the first time in September.
“I didn’t want to clean the blood in case I need extra DNA evidence. I did take some furniture, but we can’t live there any more. My son can’t go back to the Eastern Cape and he doesn’t want me to. The farm is being managed by neighbours,” said Estelle, adding that there had been other attacks in the area.
R200,000: The amount of money Buchner has spent on private investigators in a bid for justice
Didiza’s spokesperson, Reginald Ngcobo, said the minister's office had not received Booth's letter. “Once received, we will be able to respond to it and engage relevant authorities.”
Lamola’s spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, said the justice minister was unable to direct how and when a crime should be investigated.
Booth said the ministers’ failure to respond to his letter was cause for “grave concern”.
“Because the country has such a high incidence of farm murders, surely they did not need to be reminded to keep a regular check on all such cases and inquire as to their progress to ensure the culprits are arrested and punished,” he said.
“Ministers make promises in parliament about measures to curb violence, but in reality does anything happen? The minister of agriculture did say ‘no stone will be left unturned' in solving the Buchner murder. However, that was a long time ago.”
A neighbouring farmer, who asked to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, said crime had escalated in the area over the years. “We have stopped reporting cases because there will most likely be no investigation or arrests made. This means [the area's crime statistics are] not accurate. People have lost faith in the local police, who are understaffed and don’t always have the resources to assist in times of need.”
Cele's office did not comment in time for publication.
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