Farm attacks in South Africa: setting the record straight

This policy brief provides evidence and analysis that refutes the claim of a genocide against white farmers.

10 JUL 2025  

Farm attacks are a serious crime problem requiring dedicated law enforcement attention, but they do not amount to genocide. They represent a small part of violent crime overall in South Africa and their patterns are consistent with criminal rather than political motives. Recent statistics show a decline in violent farm crime. Effective rural safety solutions include stronger policing, community cooperation and tackling the root causes of South Africa’s broader crime challenges.

 

About the authors

 

Gareth Newham is the Head of the ISS Justice and Violence Prevention Programme and Lizette Lancaster is the Manager of the ISS Crime and Justice Information and Analysis Hub

 

Image: Gulshan Khan/AFP via Getty Images

This policy brief is funded by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The ISS is also grateful for support from the members of the ISS Partnership Forum: the Hanns Seidel Foundation, the European Union, the Open Society Foundations and the governments of Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

CRIME HUB DATA

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