Farm attacks in South Africa: what the numbers show
We are a South African, Christian, family business, and our raw material comes from farms. Farm attacks touch people we know and work with. Here is what the official figures and the independent counts say, where they disagree, and where to read more.
What the police report
The South African Police Service (SAPS) reports murders on farms and smallholdings in its quarterly crime statistics. For January to March 2025 the Minister of Police reported 6 murders on farms, down from 12 in the previous quarter (October to December 2024). The 6 victims were 2 farm owners, 2 farm employees, 1 farm manager and 1 person living on a farm (SAnews; Minister's statement).
SAPS does not publish crime statistics by race. When he released these figures, the minister said five of the six victims were Black and one was white, and that most farm murder victims have historically been Black (SAnews).
What independent counts report
AfriForum, a civil-rights organization, keeps its own count from police records, security networks, social media and victims. It recorded at least 184 farm attacks and 29 farm murders in 2025, against 176 attacks and 37 murders in 2024, and classed 36% of the 2025 attacks as serious violent acts with a substantial risk of death (The Citizen; AfriForum 2024 report).
The two sources do not always agree. For October to December 2024 the police counted 12 murders on farms, one of the victims a farm owner. AfriForum said it had confirmed eight farm murders against the single case it said the police had reported, and asked the minister to correct the record (SAnews; Cape Argus).
| Period | Source | Farm murders | Farm attacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 (calendar year) | AfriForum | 29 | at least 184 |
| Jan to Mar 2025 | SAPS | 6 | |
| Oct to Dec 2024 | SAPS | 12 | |
| 2024 (calendar year) | AfriForum | 37 | 176 |
| 2010 to 2019 | AfriForum | 596 | |
| 2010/11 to 2019/20 (financial years) | SAPS | just under 600 |
Sources: SAnews and the Minister of Police (SAPS quarters); The Citizen and AfriForum (calendar years); Africa Check for the 2010 to 2019 totals. Calendar years and police financial quarters are not directly comparable.
Why the numbers differ
“Farm murder” is not an official SAPS crime category, so every count depends on its definition: commercial farms only or smallholdings too, owners only or everyone on the property, calendar years or financial quarters. Without reliable population figures for the people living on farms, a farm murder rate is very hard to calculate (Africa Check).
Many cases also go unsolved or unpunished. Of the cases AfriForum tracked from 2019 to 2022, arrests were made in 75 and 24 ended in a guilty verdict, a conviction rate of 32% of cases with arrests (Africa Check).
The genocide debate
Some public figures, in South Africa and abroad, describe farm attacks as a genocide against white farmers. In February 2025 a judge of the Western Cape High Court, ruling on a will, called the “white genocide” idea “clearly imagined and not real” (BusinessDay). Africa Check found that several figures cited in a White House meeting in May 2025 did not match any available data, and that the data does not show white South Africans are more likely than others to be victims of crime (Africa Check).
Farmers' organizations answer that the brutality of many attacks, the isolation of farms and low conviction rates make rural violence a national crisis that needs its own priority, whatever word is used for it (The Citizen). Both things can be true: the numbers do not support the claim of a genocide, and the attacks are still a grave, ongoing injustice to the people who suffer them.
What helps
Better data, a rural safety plan that police and farming communities run together, faster investigations and convictions, and support for families after an attack. If you are in South Africa and see or suspect a crime, report it to SAPS Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
We pray for the farmers, farm workers and their families, and for a country where those who feed it can live in peace.
Last reviewed 6 November 2026. Figures are as reported by each source on the dates shown; newer quarters may be available. We will update this page as new official statistics are released.
Sources
- SAnews (South African Government News Agency), 23 May 2025: More farm murder victims are African, Police Minister
- Minister Senzo Mchunu: Release of 2024/2025 fourth quarter crime statistics, 23 May 2025
- The Citizen, 23 April 2026: Farm attacks rise as violence levels remain high, AfriForum report
- AfriForum: Farm attacks and murders in South Africa for 2024 (report, PDF)
- Cape Argus, 4 March 2025: AfriForum reveals eight farm murders, challenging official SAPS statistics
- Africa Check: Setting the record straight on the farm murder claims made in the White House, May 2025 (updated 3 June 2025)
- Africa Check: Why calculating a farm murder rate in South Africa is near impossible
- BusinessDay, 24 February 2025: White genocide in SA is imaginary, says judge in R40m trust case