AfriForum has questioned Senzo Mchunu, the Minister of Police, regarding the numbers of farm murders that allegedly occurred during the third quarter of the fiscal year 2024–2025.
Following Mchunu’s request for information on the alleged murders after AfriForum contested his statistics, AfriForum has provided details of eight farm murders that took place between October and December 2024.
Mchunu disclosed one farm murder during this time, committed by a single individual, when he presented the most recent data from the South African Police Service (SAPS).
He revealed that there were 6 953 reported killings, including 12 farm murders. Of this number, 12 were farm dwellers, four farm employees, one security guard, and a farmer.
He added that there has been a decrease in murders by at least 9.8%.
Downplaying severity of farm murders
Jacques Broodryk, AfriForum chief spokesperson for community safety, disputed this figure and accused Mchunu of either being misinformed or deliberately downplaying the severity of the farm murder crisis.
He said AfriForum has been tracking farm attacks and murders for years and claimed that the incidents are recorded in line with the SAPS’s own definition as stated in the rural safety strategy.
“Minister Mchunu’s claim that only one farm murder took place from October to December 2024 communicates to the families of these victims that farm murders are not a priority.
“We cannot allow politics to take precedence over the reality of farm murders and the generally intolerable levels of crime in South Africa,” said Broodryk.
According to the statement, one of the murders presented involved a mother and daughter who were kidnapped and murdered in October 2024.
Crime pandemic
He referred to farm murders as a crime pandemic that needed commitment, leadership, and collaboration to be fought.
He said the AfriForum’s neighbourhood watch structures maintain strong relationships with the SAPS at the local level.
These partnerships, he said, continue to help in the fight against crime, with community-driven safety initiatives proving effective in assisting law enforcement, tracking criminals, and securing convictions.
However, Broodryk emphasised that the lack of political will to acknowledge the issue at higher levels of government hampers these efforts.
“The fact that we have a president who denied, in front of the international media, that farm murders are taking place in this country and who refuses to condemn political leaders chanting ‘kill the boer, kill the farmer’ is a clear indicator that the government responds to crime selectively.”
