Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has moved to correct what he describes as a longstanding misrepresentation in the reporting of farm murders in South Africa, stating that Black victims have historically included the majority of the affected.

“The history of farm murders in the country has always been distorted and reported in an unbalanced way; the truth is that farm murders have always included African people in more numbers,” Mchunu said.

Mchunu made the remarks, when he was presenting the fourth quarter crime statistics of the previous financial year (1 January 2025 – 31 March 2025) in Pretoria, on Friday 23 May.

The report showed a notable decrease in farm attacks, with six incidents recorded in the fourth quarter, compared to 12 in the previous quarter.

The victims included two farm owners, two farm employees, one farm manager, and one farm dweller.

While the South African Police Service (SAPS) does not categorise crime statistics by race, Mchunu addressed the racial aspect in response to recent claims of a “White genocide” in the country.

“The two farm owners that were murdered during the fourth quarter were African and not White. Further to that, the two farm employees and one farm manager were also African – it is the one farm dweller that was White.

“Last quarter, we reported that a total of 12 farm murders had been reported, with one farm owner having been murdered. Notable progress has been made in respect of investigations into these cases, and a number of arrests have been made,” Mchunu said.

Mchunu reiterated the SAPS’s commitment to prioritising all types of crimes with urgency; as well as to conduct thorough investigations to ensure that justice is ultimately served.

He further highlighted the government’s commitment to the National Rural Safety Strategy, which aims to create a safe and secure environment in rural areas.

“We have appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee multiple times to account for our efforts. The National Rural Safety Strategy is designed to create a safe and secure environment in rural areas, and we are committed to fully implementing it.

“As from this year, when we release the first quarter results, we will include a number of other categories of crime in the country, to show a fuller picture. For an example, killings in rural and urban areas, instead of just on commercial farms, but for now, our statistics are based on commercial farms,” the Minister said.

Farm murders affect all race groups, though public discourse has often focused disproportionately on white farmers, particularly due to the “white genocide” narrative, which has been widely amplified by international figures and local interest groups.

According to official data, farm murders account for only a tiny fraction of South Africa’s overall murder rate. For example, between April 2022 and March 2023, there were 51 murders on farms out of a total of 27 494 murders nationwide. This means that, while farm murders are brutal and traumatic, they are not statistically more common than other types of violent crime.

Most farm attacks are motivated by robbery, with perpetrators seeking cash, firearms, or other valuables. There is little evidence to support the idea that farm attacks are primarily racially or politically motivated, though isolated incidents with possible racial motives do occur. The majority of murder victims in South Africa—whether on farms or elsewhere—are poor, under- or unemployed young Black males.

No land grabbing in the country

Mchunu also sought to dispel misconceptions about so-called “land grabbing” in South Africa.

While confirming that land invasions do occur, he rejected the notion that they reflect government policy.

“Land invasions are not government policy but are by and large acts of desperation for land by African people who find themselves landless and in need to settle. It is sporadic and it remains unlawful, hence the cases and investigations thereof,” he explained.

Mchunu stressed that the policy of expropriation without compensation is a lawful and systematic effort to resolve the issue of landlessness.

“My colleague in the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, [Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso], has expressed concern about the misuse of the term ‘land grab’ and will provide further clarification next week,” Mchunu said.