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This article was published on December 29, 2023. Crime cannot be argued away, murder cannot be dismissed as “nothing…..facts are facts.
Is a crime against humanity the risk that is unfolding in South Africa?
Elon Musk, the Pretoria-born billionaire who owns X (Twitter) and Tesla, fears there might be. Earlier this year, he wrote that he had heard of calls for “a genocide of white people” in his former homeland. Musk is not alone in his concerns.
Steve Hofmeyr, a South African singer with a cult following, believes that the ‘g-word’ is an appropriate way to describe what is unfolding: ‘If you think that the massacre of South African farmers is not genocidal enough, ask them about their land, language, religion, education, universities, heritage, monuments, safety, dignity and their race-based regulations based on them.’
Donald Trump expressed a similar concern when he was in the White House. In a tweet that sparked a diplomatic outburst between South Africa and the United States in 2018, Trump referred to the “large-scale murder of farmers.” The government in Pretoria labeled his claim as ridiculous, but was Trump right about what was unfolding?
In South Africa, this is a delicate subject. What is beyond doubt is that white farmers, who often live on large properties far from their neighbors or the nearest town, are seen by some as easy targets. The number of murders is alarming. Last year (2022) there were more than 300 farm attacks and 50 murders.
A particularly horrific incident in Mpumalanga, in the east of the country, happened in July 2023: 79-year-old farmer Theo Bekker was hit over the head with an iron bar. His throat was cut and he bled to death. Bekker’s wife, Marlinda, was tied up and a bag was pulled over her head. Even when victims survive – as Marlinda did – the level of violence in these attacks can be fierce. Torture and rape are common. Afrikaans Bibles are left open on broken bodies.
All too often, the timing of these attacks is no coincidence. Gangs – some high on drugs and alcohol – have been known to show up at remote farms, armed to the teeth, often late in the month when employers have piles of cash in their homes ready to pay workers. It will probably not be a coincidence that the attack on Bekker’s farm took place on 30 July.
Farmers are understandably scared, but does what is happening in South Africa amount to genocide? South Africa has the third highest murder rate in the world, far ahead of Colombia and Mexico. The UK, with a similar population, has around 700 murders a year; South Africa can record 450 in a week. Some of these victims are white farmers, but they are far from the only ones who lose their lives at the hands of violent criminals. For every hundred murders, only 14 of the targets are women, 81 are men and five are children. Overwhelmingly, murder victims are young black men murdered by other young black men. Whites make up about eight percent of the population and are the victims in about two percent of murders. Poverty, rapid urbanization and large numbers of unemployed have created a toxic situation that has given rise to crime, but not genocide.
Based in Washington DC, Genocide Watch is the world’s early warning system. It was founded in 1999 by Dr Gregory Stanton, a professor of human rights law, who says that ‘for all the tragedy of farm murders in South Africa, there is no evidence of a planned extermination’. Instead, there are ‘opportunistic crimes’, sometimes acts of revenge by workers who are owed wages or feel aggrieved by their employers. Or simply attacks carried out by thugs out for money.
“We’ve been studying this for many years,” Stanton said, “and I’ve done research on the ground in South Africa. The numbers show us that white people, urban or rural, are much safer than their black counterparts, and less likely to end up on a page at the coroner’s office.” Boers, he said, “are often vulnerable, isolated and easy targets, but that doesn’t make it genocide.”
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is the official opposition with the second most seats in parliament after the ruling African National Congress (ANC). DA Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Phineas Masipa, agrees with Dr Stanton’s findings, but says all rural deaths, including farmers and the black workers and security guards who are often attacked by the same gangs, must be investigated.
“No matter what we call it, a perception that farmers and their staff are not safe can deter the next generation of producers,” he said. “It raises concerns about food security on a continent vulnerable to hunger.”
White farmers in South Africa can hardly be blamed for feeling unsafe, but there is little evidence that murder and robbery are necessarily linked to skin color. In an already violent country, the cost of living is skyrocketing, and tensions have been exacerbated by an influx of migrants from the rest of Africa, millions of whom have moved to Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and even the most remote hamlet in search of work. These newcomers typically come from neighboring states, such as Zimbabwe and Mozambique, but also from Zambia, Malawi, Nigeria and even Pakistan and Bangladesh. Their presence has pushed up rents in the crowded townships where seven or eight black youths, often unemployed, may share a shack the size of a bathroom. Foreigners, they say, make it even harder to find work.
With an election coming up in May and the ANC trailing in the polls, police and immigration officials have begun rounding up those without documentation for deportation. It’s a popular move, but critics say they’ve seen the ruling party do it before and that once the vote is over, the crackdowns will stop.
In the past year, there have been attacks on trucks carrying cargo to the port city of Durban, with mobs setting vehicles on fire they say are driven by foreigners. Drivers have been beaten and chased away, and highways have been closed for hours while police clean up the mess.
Dr Stanton says it is a smoldering fuse. ‘In any country, one death is too many and we should not ignore the plight of white farmers. But there are worrying reports of xenophobia against black migrants. The first step towards genocide occurs when people are labelled as “the other”: different, dangerous and alien. China is doing this now with the Uyghur Muslims.’
Stanton believes the problem has several causes. ‘Oppressive governments in other parts of Africa forced many into exile. The South African authorities did little to stem the influx, and unemployment led to a level of misery among the youth that is difficult for people in Britain or America to comprehend. This in turn fuelled resentment against foreigners.’
He said it was a situation that the United Nations and human rights groups should be watching closely. But all too often the response from such organizations has been silence. Meanwhile, there is no sign that the pace at which South Africans – some white, but overwhelmingly black – are being murdered will slow down any time soon.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/whats-the-truth-about-south-africas-genocide-of-white-farmers
Unfortunately, the author did not discuss the quotes from people like Malema’s “kill the Boer, kill the farmer” in his article. The direct threats to wipe out the White population are swept under the rug because they do not polish the false image that needs to be shown to the world.
Those who are concerned about the direct attack on our farmers and whites as a whole have reason to be concerned, because the arrogance with which the threats against the “whites” are uttered is not addressed and this spurs and whips the followers.
Is a crime against humanity at risk of unfolding in South Africa? Elon Musk, the Pretoria-born billionaire who owns X (Twitter) and Tesla, fears that there might be. Earlier this year, he wrote that he’d heard of calls for ‘a genocide of white people’ in his former homeland. Musk isn’t alone in his concerns. Steve Hofmeyr, a South African singer with a cult following, thinks that the ‘g-word’ is an appropriate way to describe what is unfolding: ‘If you think that the slaughter of South African farmers is not genocide enough, ask them about their land, language, religion, education, universities, heritage, monuments, safety, dignity and the race-based regulations imposed upon them and their children’. Donald Trump voiced a similar concern when he was in the White House. In a tweet that caused a diplomatic bust-up between South Africa and the United States in 2018, Trump referred to the ‘large-scale killing of farmers’. The government in Pretoria labelled his claim ridiculous, but was Trump right about what is unfolding?
In South Africa, it’s a delicate topic. What is beyond doubt is that white farmers, who often live on large properties far from their neighbours or the nearest town, are seen by some as easy targets. The number of killings is worrying. Last year, there were more than 300 farm attacks and 50 murders. A particularly horrific incident in Mpumalanga, in the east of the country, happened in July: 79-year-old farmer Theo Bekker was bludgeoned over the head with an iron bar. His throat was slit and he bled to death. Bekker’s wife, Marlinda, was tied up and had a bag pulled over her head. Even when victims survive – as Marlinda did – the level of violence in these attacks can be ferocious. Torture and rape are common. Afrikaans Bibles have been left open on dismembered bodies.
Theo Bekker was bludgeoned over the head with an iron bar. His throat was slit and he bled to death
All too often, the timing of these attacks is no accident. Gangs — some high on drugs and alcohol — have been known to turn up at remote farms, armed to the teeth, often late in the month when employers have wads of cash in their homes ready to pay workers. It is unlikely to be a coincidence that the attack on Bekker’s farm took place on 30 July.
Farmers are understandably afraid, but does what is happening in South Africa amount to a genocide? South Africa has the third-highest murder rate in the world, well ahead of Colombia and Mexico. The UK, with a similar population, has around 700 homicides a year; South Africa can log 450 in a week. Some of these victims are white farmers, but they are far from the only ones losing their lives at the hands of violent criminals. For every hundred murders, just 14 of the targets are women, 81 are men and five are children. Overwhelmingly, murder victims are young black men killed by other young, black men. Whites make up around eight per cent of the population and are the victims in roughly two per cent of murders. Poverty, rapid urbanisation, and vast numbers out of work have created a toxic situation that has given rise to crime, but not genocide.
Based in Washington DC, Genocide Watch is the world’s early warning system. It was founded in 1999 by Dr Gregory Stanton, a professor of human-rights law, who says that ‘for all the tragedy of farm murders in South Africa, there is no evidence of a planned extermination’. There are instead, ‘opportunistic crimes’, sometimes acts of revenge by workers who are owed wages or feel aggrieved with their employers. Or just attacks carried out by thugs out for money.
‘We have studied this for many years,’ Stanton said, ‘and I’ve done research on the ground in South Africa. The numbers show us that white people, urban or rural, are much safer than their black counterparts, and less likely to end up on a slab at the coroner’s office.’ Farmers he said, ‘are often vulnerable, isolated and easy targets, but that doesn’t make it genocide’.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is the official opposition with the second-most seats in parliament after the ruling African National Congress (ANC). DA shadow minister for Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Phineas Masipa, agrees with Dr Stanton’s findings, but says there needs to be an investigation into all rural deaths, including farmers and the black workers and security guards often attacked by the same gangs.
‘No matter how we label this, a perception that farmers and their staff are not safe could deter the next generation of growers,’ he said. ‘This raises a concern around food security on a continent vulnerable to hunger.’
White farmers in South Africa can hardly be blamed for feeling unsafe, but there’s scant evidence of murder and robbery being necessarily linked to skin colour. In an already violent country, the cost of living is soaring and tensions have been worsened by an influx of migrants from the rest of Africa, millions of whom have moved to Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and even the remotest hamlet in search of work. These newcomers are typically from neighbouring states, like Zimbabwe and Mozambique, but also from Zambia, Malawi, Nigeria and even Pakistan and Bangladesh. Their presence has pushed up rents in the crowded townships where seven or eight black youths, often unemployed, might share a shack the size of a bathroom. Foreigners, they say, make it even more difficult to find a job.
With an election due in May, and the ANC behind in the polls, police and immigration officials have started rounding up those without papers for deportation. It’s a popular move, but critics say they have seen the ruling party doing this before and that, when voting is over, the crackdowns will stop.
In the past year, there have been attacks on trucks taking freight to the port city of Durban with mobs torching vehicles they say are driven by foreigners. Drivers are beaten and chased away, and the highways are closed for hours while police clear the mess.
Dr Stanton says this is a smouldering fuse. ‘In any country, one death is too many and we must not ignore the plight of white farmers. But there are worrying reports about xenophobia against black migrants. The first step towards a genocide happens when people are labelled as “the other”: different, dangerous and alien. China is doing it now with the Uyghur Muslims.’
Stanton believes the problem has several causes. ‘Oppressive governments in other parts of Africa have forced many into exile. The South African authorities have done little to stem the inflow, and unemployment has resulted in a level of misery among the youth that is hard for people in Britain or America to comprehend. This, in turn, has unleashed the resentment against foreigners.’
He said it was a situation the United Nations and human-rights groups should be watching closely. But, all too often, the response of such organisations is simply silence. Meanwhile, there’s no sign that the rate at which South Africans are being murdered — some white, but overwhelmingly black — will slow anytime soon.
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