Mchunu confirms receipt of AfriForum farm murder list
The lobby group has accused the South African Police Service (SAPS) of either being uninformed or wanting to downplay the scale of farm murders.
The SAPS Crime Registrar has begun verifying the cases in AfriForum’s submission.
The police ministry has confirmed it received a list of farm attacks submitted by AfriForum in response to the minister’s call for evidence supporting their claim that the official crime statistics underreported the number of farm murders, particularly those of farm owners.
In a statement, AfriForum’s spokesperson for Community Safety said they had been keeping track of all confirmed farm attacks and murders for years.
Afriforum said in one of the attacks that AfriForum presented to Mchunu, a mother and daughter were kidnapped and murdered in October 2024.
“Minister Mchunu’s claim that only one farm murder took place from October to December 2024 communicates to families of these victims that farm murders are not a priority. We cannot allow politicking to take precedence over the reality of farm murders and the generally intolerable levels of crime in South Africa,” said Jacques Broodryk.
“We need commitment, leadership, and collaboration to fight this crime pandemic. The government must now join forces with private organisations if we are to make a real difference. We can only hope that the minister shares this view.”
In the third quarter crime statistics, released last month, only one farm murder was reported.
The minister’s spokesperson, Kamogelo Mogotsi, says the verification process is ongoing.
“Preliminary findings indicate that, of the incidents listed, only one murder of a farm owner is reflected. This corresponds with the single farm owner murder reported in the official crime statistics for the third quarter. While verification processes are still ongoing, no additional murders of farm owners have been identified beyond what was originally reported by SAPS.”
Mogotsi said further updates will be provided once the whole verification process is completed.
“The ministry further reaffirms its commitment to combating violent crime and improving safety for all South Africans,” she added.
Mogotsi said the SAPS would continue to engage with all interested parties to enhance crime prevention efforts and ensure that statistical reporting remains reliable and credible.
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