Farm attacks in SA are ‘not ordinary crimes’ – US

Trump

Cape Town – The United States has reiterated its claim that white farmers in South Africa are being deliberately targeted, with the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor (DRL) stating that rural farm attacks are not ordinary crimes.

The bureau recently visited South Africa to assess the situation, linking the trip to President Donald Trump’s executive orders.

Trump, during his second term, halted aid to South Africa and imposed a 30% tariff on its exports, accusing the country of discriminating against its white minority.

Other African countries face a 15% tariff.

The DRL highlighted brutal patterns in farm attacks, noting 296 incidents and 49 murders in 2023, rising to 55 farm murders in 2024, with many victims elderly and isolated, and in some cases tortured without theft occurring.

“Violent crime is rampant in South Africa, but rural attacks — especially on farms — display a distinctly brutal pattern. Local sources reported 296 farm attacks and 49 murders in 2023, and that victims are disproportionately elderly, isolated, and face delayed police response. The South African Police Service reports the number increased to 55 farm murders in 2024,” it said. 

DRL added: “These are not ordinary crimes. In some documented cases, reports detail victims tortured or killed without anything being stolen. 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 South African government has rejected claims of a white genocide, stressing that crime affects all communities and most victims are Black.

The DRL warned that ongoing lawlessness could damage economic prospects and US relations, urging the South African government to take decisive action.

Article written by