Who and what is AfriForum?

AfriForum is an Afrikaans civil rights organisation that protects the rights of minority groups at national as well as provincial level, and anyone who can identify with AfriForum’s principles and objectives may join the organisation. AfriForum’s community plan focuses on mobilising communities to thus take control of their own streets and neighbourhoods again. AfriForum ensures that your constitutional and civil rights are recognised and protected at national level.

Wie en wat is AfriForum?

AfriForum is ’n Afrikaanse burgerregteorganisasie wat die regte van minderheidsgroepe op sowel nasionale as provinsiale vlak beskerm, en enigiemand wat met AfriForum se beginsels en doelstellings kan identifiseer, mag by die organisasie aansluit. AfriForum se gemeenskapsplan fokus daarop om gemeenskappe te mobiliseer om só weer beheer terug te neem oor hul eie strate en woonbuurtes. AfriForum verseker dat jou grondwetlike én burgerregte op nasionale vlak erken en beskerm word.

South African Police Service statistics indicate an increase in farm murders

Byafriforum 25/07/201903/11/2020

For the attention of foreign and international media reporting on South Africa

The South African civil rights organisation AfriForum wishes to inform the media that official statistics released by the South African Police Service (SAPS) indicate that attacks on South African farmers are on the increase. This is particularly important because significant press coverage was given by foreign and international media to the false claim that farm murders in South Africa is currently the lowest that it has been in 20 years. In fact, SAPS statistics indicate that the contrary is true. This inaccurate claim created the false impression that the problem of South African farmers being under violent attack is not really a problem worth taking note of.

The source of this inaccurate claim is a report that was published in 2018 by an agricultural organisation, in which it was claimed that farm murders were at a so-called “19-year low”. The authors of this report stated that their findings in this regard were based on data provided to them by the SAPS. The claim was quickly debunked, however, and can easily be refuted by doing a simple Google search.

The authors of the inaccurate report have since conceded that the number is inaccurate and have subsequently updated their report.

The SAPS has subsequently published data on farm attacks and farm murders, which also indicate that farm murders are not on a 19-year low. This information shows the contrary: Although there has been a gradual decrease since the peak of the farm murder crisis in 1997, there has been a gradual increase in farm murders since 2011, as well as a significant increase in farm attacks since 2015 (see graph below). AfriForum has also noted severe levels of violence and brutality displayed by attackers in recent years.

* Source: SAPS

For a comprehensive description of the farm attack crisis, journalists are encouraged to obtain a copy of Ernst Roets’s book Kill the Boer. The book is available on Amazon and in bookstores in South Africa. AfriForum is also prepared to provide free copies of Kill the Boer to journalists reporting on South Africa and on farm murders.