We have a violent crime problem, not a white genocide

Between 2000 and 2015 two independent inquiries examined violent incidents on farms. The first was instituted by then police minister Steve Tshwete and the second by the South African Human Rights Commission.

- Gareth Newham

Both investigated claims that attacks on farms and smallholdings were part of a political campaign to force white farmers off their land. Neither inquiry - nor other credible police or private investigations since then - has found any evidence to support such allegations.

Whether genocide has been committed is not a matter of opinion but of international law. Under the 1948 Genocide Convention and 1998 Rome Statute, genocide is defined as murder or other harmful acts intended to destroy, in whole or in part, an ethnic group. If the Donald Trump administration believes genocide is being committed in South Africa, there are legal avenues available to confirm this and take action. None has been pursued.

The motive for farm murders in South Africa is almost always robbery - not part of an effort to “destroy, in whole or in part, an ethnic group”. Some cases are driven by labour disputes or domestic violence. Although those living in rural areas and on farms may be vulnerable because of their isolation and lack of security and support services, claims that farmers are more at risk of being murdered than the average member of the public have not been proven.