Thousands sign petition to return to Europe

The petition on the website www.change.org, had about 15000 signatures last night.

It calls for the EU to allow white South Africans, Namibians and Zimbabweans to be given automatic European citizenship.

The petition has over 15000 signatures.

Rodrigo de Campos, a Brazilian, is behind the campaign and his motivation is that “the white South African population currently faces ethnic cleansing and persecutions at the hands of the ANC government, the Economic Freedom Fighters and various individual anti-white aggressors. Over 4000 white farmers have been brutally murdered, often including torture, rape and mutilation.”

Neither the ANC nor the EFF could be reached for comment last night.

His rationale, he said, was “based on the Israeli government’s policy of allowing all Jews the right to return to Israel”.

“We believe it is not only advisable but morally obligatory that Europe should allow all white South Africans the right to return,” he said.

It is not clear from De Campos’s Facebook profile why he would campaign for white South Africans.

Some of those in support of the petition have given their reasons on his page.

Susan Mulder wrote: “My life and the lives of my children are at risk daily. We love SA but are no longer welcome in the country our ancestors built. We have no option but to ask for your help.”

“I am a naturalised British citizen yet my mom is stuck on her own in South Africa. She should be growing old with her daughter and granddaughter. She has been attacked. An AK47 has been held to her head. She is alone and traumatised. She deserves to be free from living in fear,” said Marischka Davies.

Presidency spokesman Harold Maloka declined to comment. So did cabinet spokesman Phumla Williams and Clayson Monyela of the Department of International Relations and Co-operation.

Black political analyst Shadrack Gutto sneered at the petition and said whites needed to be “educated”, also globally.

Violent crime, murder on the increase in SA

Most violent crime categories in South Africa have gone up according to 2012/13 figures and last year was the third time murder increased in 20 years.

Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko and national police commissioner Riah Phiyega were expected to release the 2013/14 crime statistics in Pretoria on Friday.

According to the statistics, the Eastern Cape had the highest murder rate, followed by the Western Cape, Free State, and the Northern Cape. Limpopo had the lowest murder rate.

Business robberies leaped with a staggering 300% and rural areas were more dangerous.

In 80% of cases the victim knew the perpetrator.

Aggravated robbery also went up, as did business, house, and car robberies.

Last year, the ISS (Institute for Security Studies) said the crime statistics police had released last September had contained a miscalculation, and that they had downplayed the rate of violent crime.

At the time police had used population estimates calculated by Statistics SA in 2001, which expected the population to be 50.6 million in 2011, instead of using data from the 2011 census, which showed there were 52.3m people in South Africa.

By not updating the population number, police had understated the increase in serious and violent crimes. At the time the police ministry and the national police commissioner’s office dismissed the criticism.

Police said it would apply the new population estimates, based on the 2011 census results, only from the 2012/13 financial period onwards.