The Presidency said the US findings, that farm attacks are not ordinary crimes, lacks credibility and has accused the country of ignoring reliable information in order to sustain a disinformation campaign against South Africa.

The US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) claimed that attacks on farms display a distinctly brutal pattern.

The bureau said this was uncovered during its recent visit to the country as part of the President of the United States, Donald Trump’s executive orders to learn more about the rural farm attacks and the breakdown of the rule of law. 

While AfriForum welcomed the findings, Presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said there is no credibility that can be attached to the report.

He said the bureau visited Cape Town only, and also ignored credible SAPS statistics in order to sustain a disinformation campaign against South Africa.

“There is nothing constructive or new out of their report. We are fully aware of all challenges relating to crime in our country, including crimes that are committed in rural and farming areas. We are also working on addressing all crimes that affect our citizens,” said Mangwenya. 

The bureau said local sources reported 296 farm attacks and 49 murders in 2023, adding that victims are disproportionately elderly, isolated and face delayed police response.

It said the SAPS also reported that the number increased to 44 murders in 2024. 

“These are not ordinary crimes. In some documented cases, reports detail victims tortured or killed without anything being stolen,” DRL said. 

“Earlier this year, a man was beaten and hacked with a machete. In another incident, an elderly woman was assaulted and repeatedly stabbed. In both cases, no theft occurred. These attacks are not motivated by poverty alone.” 

The DRL added that in one of the notable incidents in 2023, assailants chanted “kill the boer, kill the farmer” as they stabbed their victim, adding that these are not fringe slogans as some South African leaders chant the same words to cheering crowds. 

“In one case, graffiti praising these leaders was painted on a farmhouse before its owners were brutally attacked. Despite this, as the President of the United States highlighted earlier this year, many South African leaders have failed to condemn this song,” the bureau said, adding that the international community and mainstream media decided to remain silent on this issue. 

In response to the report, AfriForum said it was convinced that this is the result of years of consistent advocacy and awareness-raising aimed at exposing the seriousness of farm attacks and murders to the local and international community.

“We are grateful that the United States has confirmed what we have been emphasising for years, namely that farm attacks are not ordinary crimes,” says Jacques Broodryk, AfriForum’s Chief Spokesperson for Community Safety. 

“Farm attacks are brutal, targeted attacks that are often accompanied by torture, murder without anything being stolen and politically charged rhetoric such as ‘Kill the Boer’. The ANC-led government’s silence on this issue is shameful. When the government refuses to condemn hate speech and refuses to prioritise the protection of our farmers, they are complicit in this crisis,” Broodryk said.

However, violence monitor Mary de Haas said the report was not objective, adding that crime affects everyone in South Africa.

She said if there was objectivity in the report, the bureau would look at what is happening in rural black communities, where the murder rate is far higher. 

“This is a very biased racist agenda to focus on white farmers when most of the victims of brutal crime and torture are black people in South Africa .They are trying to punish South Africa because of the world court case. (The case filed in 2024 against Israel at the International Court of Justice). The genocide is in Gaza, not in South Africa,’’ she said. 

US President Donald Trump took aim at South Africa earlier this year after he took office for the second term, promoting claims that white farmers were targeted-he stopped all aid to South Africa, accusing it of discriminating against its white minority.

 The South African government and President Cyril Ramaphosa have labelled notions that there is a genocide against White South Africans as false and said while there was crime in South Africa, the majority of victims were Black.

Trump also imposed a 30% tariff wall on South African exports, while other African nations, including Nigeria, Ghana, Lesotho and Zimbabwe have been hit with 15%, which is expected to come into effect in days.

Political analyst Sandile Swana said the US decided to focus on the interests of the white minority while the issue should be resolving the economic struggles of black people. He said the DRL’s visit aims to turn South Africa into a colonial State of the US, adding that the report is biased, unscientific and prejudice to favour Trump and his Make America Great Again campaign. 

“This must be seen as a racist measure by the US. The former South African Ambassador to the US Ibrahim Rasool was expelled for correctly identifying the white supremacy tendencies of Trump’s presidency,” Swana said. 

Meanwhile, the government said “some actors with South African society” have undermined efforts in resetting the relationship with the US. 

manyane.manyane@inl.co.za

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