FARM ATTACKS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Attacks on farms and smallholdings refer to acts aimed at the person(s)
of residents, workers and visitors to farms and smallholdings, whether with
the
intent to murder, rape, rob or to inflict bodily harm. In addition, all actions
aimed at (disrupting) farming activities as a commercial concern, whether for
motives related to ideology, labour disputes, land issues, revenge, grievances,
racist concerns or intimidation, should be included. (Cases related to domestic
violence or drunkenness, or resulting from commonplace social interaction between
people – often where victims and offenders are known to one another are
excluded from this definition) – CIAC (SAPS).
There has been growing concern amongst the agricultural unions and farmers
that farm attacks have been increasing steadily since 1997. The agricultural
unions began to collect statistics on farm attacks in 1997 however, official
record keeping by the SAPS started after a definition for farm attacks was
drawn up in 1998. Figure 1 below indicates the number of farm attacks that
have occurred since 1997 (Source: Report of
the Committee of Inquiry into Farm Attacks, July 2003).
Figure 1
Below is a provincial breakdown of farm attacks indicating where there they
have either increased or decreased since 1998. The incidence of farm attacks
has decreased in the Free State, KwaZulu Natal and Northern Cape. The provinces
which have a Tracking Unit, that is Eastern Cape, Free State and Limpopo
have shown the smallest increase in farm attacks. By contrast, farm attacks
increased by a whopping 174% in Mpumalanga since 1998. It is the largest
increase measured. Figure 2 shows the incidence of farm attacks per province.
Figure 2
*provisional figures from CIAC
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