Police say most farm murder victims are black

NO EVIDENCE OF GENOCIDE

- ROBIN-LEE FRANCKE

AS GAUTENG once again emerged as one of the provinces hardest hit by violent crime, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu used the release of the latest national crime statistics on Friday to reject revived claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa - a narrative perpetuated by US President Donald Trump.

Mchunu said the data for the fourth quarter of 2024/25 covering January to March showed a decline in murder across most provinces, including Gauteng, while sexual offences continued to rise. He emphasised that farm attacks, often cited in genocide claims, affected mostly black victims in the period under review.

"As the Ministry of Police under the 7th Administration, we have outlined our policing priorities, these include: reducing the murder rate, reducing illegal firearms and tightening controls over legal firearms, fighting gender-based violence and femicide (GBV+F), dismantling organised crime, including drug trafficking syndicates, cash-in-transit heists, extortion, and kidnappings, tackling gang violence and combating corruption. Taxi violence is also receiving our attention, as we work with the Minister of Transport," Mchunu said.

The Police Minister highlighted the conversations and concerns about claims of genocide in South Africa.