The grief of a rural community in northern KwaZulu-Natal has been thrust back into the spotlight, five years after the brutal murder of local farmers Glen and Vida Rafferty.
The couple was killed during a robbery at their farm in Normandien in August 2020, a crime that shook the tight-knit community and led to the eventual sentencing of two men to life imprisonment in 2022 by the Madadeni High Court.
Now, the case has resurfaced on the global stage, after footage relating to the Raffertys was presented by former US President Donald Trump during a working visit by South African officials to the White House this week. Trump played a series of video clips aimed at supporting his controversial claim that white farmers in South Africa are being systematically targeted in what he referred to as a “genocide.”
One of the clips included aerial footage of dozens of white crosses lining a road—claimed by Trump to be a mass burial site. However, Sandy Hill, a close friend of the Raffertys, says the narrative is deeply misleading. She explained the crosses were part of a memorial drive between Newcastle and Normandien on the day of the couple’s funeral, and were taken down two days later.
“I think that neither Mr Trump nor Mr Ramaphosa really understood what was happening, what it was about, which I thought was sad,” said Hill. “But then I thought, if their murder can in any way lead to a positive outcome, that would be a good tribute to them. The motive behind the murder seems to have just been one of pure greed and robbery. There was no political motive. It was actually just a tragedy.”
The Raffertys' death sent shockwaves through the local farming community. Hill recalls how the loss devastated those close to the couple, leading their son to sell the family farm and emigrate.
"I think the overwhelming feeling is that something's got to be done. Anything that gets a little bit of justice, anything that tries to stop these murders on farms, would be a very good thing," she said.
While the tragedy of the Raffertys' deaths remains a painful memory, their story now serves as a lightning rod in the broader international discourse on rural safety and the politicisation of crime in South Africa.