These are the names that will be carried to Washington on 3,000 white crosses

Lex Libertas today released a preliminary list of the names of farm murder victims who will be commemorated on 3,000 white crosses in Washington, D.C. in September. The think tank and advocacy group is calling on relatives, friends and members of the public to help ensure that the list is accurate and complete.

The list, published today for public input, contains the names of more than 2,203 victims identified and verified by a research committee assembled by Lex Libertas. The names will ultimately be placed on the white crosses that will form the centrepiece of the White Cross Project's vigil in Washington, D.C. Permission has been granted by the authorities in Washington to plant the crosses on the lawn on the National Mall in front of the Capitol Building, not far from the White House.

The White Cross Project is an international awareness and mobilisation campaign initiated by Lex Libertas and the New York Young Republican Club. During the campaign's Washington programme, 3,000 white crosses will be displayed to commemorate victims of farm murders and to bring the human cost of farm attacks to the attention of an international audience. The project also includes a conference, a documentary film and a petition campaign aimed at securing at least 100,000 signatures.

‘These are not merely names on a list and they are not just statistics,’ said Dr Ernst Roets, Executive Director of Lex Libertas. ‘Every name represents a person whose life was taken, a family that suffered an enormous loss and a story that deserves to be remembered. We want to make sure that, when these crosses are displayed in Washington, we get it right.’

Lex Libertas assembled a committee of volunteers to compile and verify the register. The committee consulted longstanding researchers, organisations and community initiatives that have preserved records of farm murder victims, while also using court records, archived media reports, genealogical records and independent victim databases. Where possible, cases were corroborated through more than one source.

For the purpose of determining which cases qualify for inclusion, the committee applied the definition of a farm attack used by the South African Police Service and contained in the National Rural Safety Strategy. The determining question was therefore whether a person was murdered during a farm attack.

The list is nevertheless not regarded as final.

Lex Libertas is particularly asking persons who knew victims of farm murders, or who have first-hand knowledge of particular cases, to scrutinise the list. The public is requested to point out omitted cases, incorrect spellings or other information that should be corrected.

Lex Libertas is also requesting information about the names by which victims were commonly known. In some cases, official records contain several given names, while the person may have been known throughout his or her life by a different or shortened name. Because space on the crosses will be limited, Lex Libertas wants, where possible, to use the name by which the victim was best known.

‘This is why we need the families and communities who remember these victims to help us,’ Roets said. ‘If your father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, friend or neighbour is on this list, look at the name. Tell us if we have it wrong. Tell us what that person was called. And if somebody is missing, tell us about that too.’

Roets emphasised that the White Cross Project is ultimately intended to carry a message not only of remembrance, but also of hope.

‘We will not publish these names in Washington simply to tell the world that there is a problem. We are doing it because we understand that garnering support for solutions requires a recognition of the crisis.’

Lex Libertas is therefore calling on members of the public to support the broader White Cross Project by signing the petition and by contributing to the campaign.

• The preliminary list of farm murder victims can be seen here.
• Corrections, additions and supporting information can be sent to m.gericke@lexlibertas.org.za.