In March, a wealthy South African vineyard owner named Stefan Smit was the subject of a New York Times article about black squatters encroaching on his land:
Before the end of apartheid, Mr. Smit benefited from the white monopoly over land and a steady supply of cheap black labor. His great-grandfather had cultivated grapes since the late 19th century on a property nearby. His father once owned the largest wine estate in the country, Mr. Smit’s website says.
In June, Stefan Smit was murdered on his estate:
Smit had gained something of a national profile after he was interviewed by the New York Times in March, speaking to the publication about the threat of land grabs on his property. The wine merchant had previously complained about how citizens from a nearby township had begun erecting shacks at the back of his farm.
The farmer was forced to get a court interdict against the squatters. Sadly, the letter of the law couldn’t prevent Smit from meeting a brutal fate. Police have confirmed that four armed men gained access to the wine estate via an unlocked door, before opening fire on the 62-year-old. His wife and a family friend survived the attack.
Harvest. Your. Own. Damn. Grapes. And remember, the love of money is the root of all evil. There is considerably more to life than an expanding bank account or GDP.
The harsh truth is that South Africa’s whites should have used their nukes when they had them. Now they’ll end up fighting a near-hopeless war being outnumbered and outgunned. Of course, one suspects that whatever remnants of civilization survive will say much the same thing about Americans and all their guns. Weapons are irrelevant without the will to use them.
And finally, there is the bitterly ironic punchline from the original New York Times article:
President Trump waded into the dispute last year, echoing false or exaggerated allegations that white farmers were being forced off their land by the government and killed in large numbers.