The committee noted that "there is a common misconception that in a large proportion of farm attacks little is stolen" and "various items are stolen by far in the majority of cases and, in those cases where nothing is taken, there is almost always a logical explanation, such as that the attackers had to leave quickly because help arrived." Monetary theft occurred in most of the attacks, firearms were stolen in 23.0%, and 16.0% of farm attacks involved vehicular theft. The purpose of the committee was to "inquire into the ongoing spate of attacks on farms, which include violent criminal acts such as murder, robbery, rape, to determine the motives and factors behind these attacks and to make recommendations on their findings". A Committee of Inquiry into Farm Attacks was appointed in 2001 by the National Commissioner of Police.
This position was shared by Afrikaner rights group Afriforum in a 2017 interview, where they stated that they do not believe that there is a racial motive associated with all attacks. The South African government believes the chief motive for attacks is robbery. Motivesįurther information: Crime in South Africa Human Rights Watch has criticised the use of the term "farm attacks", which they regard as "suggesting a terrorist or military purpose", which they do not believe is the primary motivation for most farm attacks. Dina Pule, the safety and security Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Mpumalanga Province, has disagreed with this definition and has said that "farm attacks" included only those cases "where farm residents were murdered and not cases of robberies or attempted murders". This definition excludes "social fabric crimes", that is those crimes committed by members of the farming community on one another, such as domestic or workplace violence, and focuses on outsiders entering the farms to commit specific criminal acts.
In addition, all actions aimed at disrupting farming activities as a commercial concern, whether for motives related to ideology, labour disputes, land issues, revenge, grievances or intimidation, should be included. Rather, the term is used to refer to a number of different crimes committed against persons specifically on commercial farms or smallholdings.Īccording to the South African Police Service National Operational Co-ordinating Committee:Īttacks on farms and smallholdings refer to acts aimed on the persons of residents, workers and visitors to farms and smallholdings, whether with the intent to murder, rape, rob or inflict bodily harm. South African statutory law does not define a "farm attack" as a specific crime. During the same year farming organisation AgriSA reported on police statistics which suggested that the murder rate on farms had declined to the lowest level in 20 years, to a third of the level recorded in 1998. ĭata released by the South African government in 2018 showed that the number of farm attacks had increased between 20, but that the number of murders on farms had decreased year by year during the period. Due to the problems associated with counting the number of South African farmers and farm murders, it is unclear whether farmers are at greater risk of being murdered than other South Africans. South African government data indicated between 58 and 74 murders on farms annually in the period 2015–2017 out of an annual murder count of 20,000 total murders in South Africa these figures are broadly consistent with figures collected by the Transvaal Agricultural Union (TAU), a farmers' union. There is insufficient data to reliably estimate a murder rate for South African farmers. The Government of South Africa and other analysts maintain that farm attacks are part of a broader crime problem in South Africa and do not have a racial motivation. However, there are no reliable figures that suggest that white farmers are being targeted in particular or that they are at a disproportionate risk of being killed. Unsubstantiated claims that such attacks on farmers disproportionately target whites are a key element of the white genocide conspiracy theory and have become a common talking point among white nationalists worldwide. The term has no formal legal definition, but such attacks have been the subject of discussion by media and public figures in South Africa and abroad. Black farmers have also been victims of violent attacks. The attacks target farmers, who are usually white, and farm workers, who are usually black. South African farm attacks ( Afrikaans: plaasaanvalle) are violent crimes, including murder, assault and robbery, that take place on farms in South Africa.
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