South African government rejects US report on farm attacks
The Presidency dismissed the US findings that farm attacks are not ordinary crimes, stating they lack credibility and accusing the US of ignoring reliable information to support a disinformation campaign against South Africa.
The US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) claimed that farm attacks exhibit a brutal pattern, uncovered during its recent visit.
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.
In response to the report, AfriForum said it was convinced that it 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.
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.
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.