South Africa Farm Murders Persist As Police Claim Racism Not Behind Farm Attacks

Although there have been 33 farm murders and 148 farm attacks this year, the South African Human Rights Commission ruled that the farm attacks are not racially motivated. Commissioner Dr. Danny Thomas said in IOL News that the commission couldn’t find a racial motivation for attacks.

“We cannot make the finding that this is racially motivated, that this is ideologically driven as we experienced in the early 1990s.”

The report also found that law enforcement agencies like SAPS and the National Prosecuting Authority needed to step up its efforts in combating the farm murders as well as other crime in South Africa.

“It is apparent from numerous respondents’ submissions that the Department of Justice is not fulfilling its role towards the farming community. This includes the alleged lack of information-sharing towards the victim and their families, in addition to the non-dissemination of information regarding trial dates, court procedures and witness preparation.”

As previously reported in Inquisitr, the farm murders continue to raise fears in South Africa as farmers continue to be attacked and murdered. Other crimes against farmers and their families include rape and boiling children in hot water. Although some of the farmers who have been murdered were different races, largely the farm murders are committed against white farmers in South Africa.

One issue cited in the study is that most of the farmers didn’t know their attackers ruling out crimes of passion or crimes that are personal. Dr. Titus also stated in News 24 that is was impossible to deny the racial undertones of the attacks, and that South Africa couldn’t afford for the murders to continue.

“We cannot afford farmers, farm workers, farming communities [to be ] attacked, and their lives are taken at will because this is where we see how the criminality in our country is engulfing us.”

Farmers are considered soft targets in South Africa because of the remoteness of their locations. Although theft is often cited as the reason for the attacks, it doesn’t explain the rapes, murders and brutality of the crimes committed in addition to the robberies. Dr. Titus said police needed to do more in order to combat crime related to farm murders. He also stated that the level of criminality in South Africa is a problem and a broad experience for all South Africans.

“We really are very clear in terms of the presentations that our criminal justice system is not deterrent enough when it comes to preventing crimes on the farms.”

Do you see farm murder in South Africa as a problem? What does the South African government need to do to address all the farm murders and crime that have been committed under the current government?

[Photo by PhotoSky via Shutterstock]