“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.

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Among the so-called evidence presented by Trump to support the assertion was a video including footage purportedly of a ‘mass funeral’ for the white victims of farm attacks. The video showed what looked to be kilometres of white crosses lining a road. That footage was actually of a 2020 protest by agricultural groups highlighting concerns about murders on farms. The crosses were a monument to these deaths over two decades – not mass graves.

The protest came two weeks after farming couple Glen and Vida Rafferty were shot and killed as they entered their home in KwaZulu-Natal province. The trauma suffered by their family, friends and colleagues had a huge impact on their rural community. Three of the four attackers were convicted – the fourth was murdered before the trial finished.

SA’s high violent crime rates are part of a larger, more complex problem that transcends race and culture

Despite being used for Trump’s political misinformation campaign, the incident highlights three important realities of violent crime in South Africa, of which farm attacks are one part. First, murder and armed robbery rates are unacceptably high. Second, these crimes affect all South Africans – not mostly white people and not mostly farmers. Third, crime causes discontent across all communities, who frequently hold protests and call for remedial action.

Between 2000 and 2015 two independent inquiries examined violent incidents on farms. The first was instituted by then police minister Steve Tshwete; the second by the South African Human Rights Commission.

Both investigated claims that attacks on farms and smallholdings were part of a political campaign to force white farmers off their land. Neither inquiry – nor other credible police or private investigations since then – have found any evidence to support such allegations.

Whether genocide has been committed is not a matter of opinion but of international law. Under the 1948 Genocide Convention and 1998 Rome Statute, genocide is defined as murder or other harmful acts intended to destroy, in whole or in part, an ethnic group. If the Trump administration believes genocide is being committed in South Africa, there are legal avenues available to confirm this and take action. None have been pursued.

The motive for farm murders is almost always robbery – not the intent to ‘destroy, in whole or in part, an ethnic group’

The motive for farm murders in South Africa is almost always robbery – not part of an effort to ‘destroy, in whole or in part, an ethnic group.’ Some cases are driven by labour disputes or domestic violence. While those living in rural areas and on farms may be vulnerable due to their isolation and lack of security and support services, claims that farmers are more at risk of being murdered than the average member of the public have not been proven.

Those who allege an orchestrated campaign against white farmers tend to cite low arrest and prosecution rates for such crimes. An AfriForum study of such cases between 2016 and 2021 revealed that only 18% resulted in a conviction.

However, this does not indicate the government’s lack of concern with crimes against farmers specifically. Overall, the South African Police Service’s ability to detect murder nationally dropped by 65% since 2012 and as of last year, stood at 11%. Over the past five years, the conviction rate for murder nationally was just 13% – lower than in the AfriForum report. Serious criminal justice system shortcomings affect everyone, not only those in rural areas or farmers in particular.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates worldwide, along with high numbers of armed robberies. These violent crimes, which also affect farmers, are part of a larger, more complex problem that transcends race and culture.

For example, in the 2023-24 financial year, the 49 murders on farms recorded by AfriForum represented 0.2% of the 27 621 murders suffered nationally. And the 296 farm attacks recorded by AfriForum made up 0.7% of the 42 206 robberies recorded by police across the country.

Criminal justice system shortcomings affect everyone, not only those in rural areas or farmers in particular

While murders increased by 127 cases nationally from the previous year, AfriForum recorded a drop in one case from 50 to 49 for those occurring on farms. Over the same period, farm attacks decreased by 12.7%, while the total number of robberies dropped by 2.1%.

These statistics are not just numbers. They reflect shattered lives and traumatised communities across South Africa. Many citizens have taken action, with positive results, as the figures above suggest. Some involved in agriculture have improved relations with neighbouring communities and adopted practical measures to enhance their safety, such as those of the KwaZulu-Natal agricultural association, Kwanalu.

Of course, the government must improve safety, including in rural areas. This is acknowledged in the National Rural Safety Strategy. However, the strategy has not been fully implemented, with resource and infrastructure shortages among the challenges.

South Africa has the knowledge and tools to address high levels of violence. It will take good leadership in the criminal justice system and strengthening the police’s ability to detect and investigate cases. But these measures aren’t enough to sustainably reduce crime. Concerted efforts are needed across government to tackle inequality and poverty, and invest in violence prevention.

The politically motivated, racist claim that white South Africans face a genocide has been circulating among fringe far-right and neo-Nazi groups for years. In the United States (US), the late David Lane – a neo-Nazi and convicted criminal – popularised the theory in his 1988 book White Genocide Manifesto. Lane is seen as one of the most important US ideologues of contemporary white supremacy by those who study and resist the phenomenon in that country.

Perhaps this tells us more about the motives of the Trump administration and its approach to domestic politics than any pretence at concern with South African farmers.

This article was republished with permission from ISS Today. The original article can be found here.

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