PROJECT: FARM ATTACKS IN SOUTH AFRICA - THE BRUTALITY BEHIND THE CRIME (PART 1)

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Farm attacks remain a serious rural-security concern in South Africa.

They affect farmers, farm workers, farm residents, families and other people living or working in isolated agricultural areas.

A recent AfriForum report, “More Than Robbery – Violence during attacks on farms and smallholdings in South Africa

(2019–2025)”, highlights a particularly disturbing aspect of these crimes: the level of violence used against victims,

including documented cases involving torture, rape, severe assault and other forms of extreme brutality.

The report was released in September 2026.

This issue should not be reduced to a political argument. It is fundamentally a public-safety and criminal-justice matter.

Every violent attack must be investigated properly, regardless of the race, occupation or location of the victim.

WHAT THE AVAILABLE DATA SHOWS:

According to AfriForum's database, approximately 6.32 farm attacks per week were recorded between 2019 and 2025.
At least 3,543 people were directly affected during this period, including people who were assaulted, threatened, murdered or present during an attack.
The database also records at least 6,197 attackers and/or suspects as having been involved in these incidents in some capacity.
The organisation's analysis further states that, based on SAPS data covering 2019 to 2022, convictions were secured in only 66 of 1,402 farm attack and farm murder incidents, representing approximately 4.7%.
This figure requires careful interpretation because the underlying dataset and conviction methodology are not identical to a conventional national crime-statistics series.
It nevertheless raises legitimate questions about investigation, prosecution and finalisation of cases.
For 2025 specifically, AfriForum recorded 184 farm attacks and 29 farm murders, compared with 176 attacks and 37 murders in 2024.
Thus, while the number of recorded murders decreased, the number of attacks increased.

THE LEVEL OF VIOLENCE IS THE PARTICULAR CONCERN:

The latest research goes beyond simply counting attacks and murders.
AfriForum reports that 36% of the farm attacks recorded in 2025 involved a serious violent act or circumstances presenting a substantial risk of death.
Its definition includes circumstances in which victims suffered severe injuries or survived conduct that could reasonably have resulted in death.
The report also specifically examines instances described by victims, relatives or mainstream media as torture.
AfriForum states that it uses the term only where a physical act was explicitly described as torture in one of those sources.
This is important because it prevents every instance of serious violence from automatically being classified as torture.
Historical cases documented by the organisation include victims being tied up, beaten, stabbed, burned, assaulted, sexually assaulted and subjected to other forms of prolonged violence.
These cases demonstrate that the danger can extend far beyond the theft of property.

RURAL ISOLATION CREATES A SECURITY RISK:

One of the defining characteristics of rural crime is distance.
A farm or smallholding may be situated several kilometres from the nearest police station, neighbouring property or medical facility.
A victim may therefore have to survive an attack for a considerable period before assistance arrives.
The latest data also shows that attackers use different methods of gaining access.
These include surprise attacks and, in some cases, luring victims under false pretences, such as pretending to be interested in purchasing farm produce.
Attackers may operate individually or in groups and have used firearms, knives, pangas, pickaxes, iron bars and other available weapons.
These circumstances make early detection and rapid communication particularly important.

GAUTENG ALSO REQUIRES ATTENTION:

Farm attacks are not confined to remote provinces.
AfriForum's 2019–2025 data records Gauteng as having the highest proportion of recorded farm attacks at 29%, followed by North West at 14% and the Free State at 12%. Gauteng also accounted for 20% of recorded farm murders in the dataset.
For 2025 specifically, AfriForum recorded 50 attacks and seven farm-murder incidents in Gauteng, the highest numbers recorded by province that year.
This is particularly relevant to communities surrounding Pretoria and other rapidly expanding urban-rural areas where agricultural properties, smallholdings and residential developments increasingly exist alongside one another.

THIS IS NOT ONLY A FARMER SAFETY ISSUE:

A significant point often lost in the public debate is that rural violence does not affect only commercial farmers.
Farm workers, domestic employees, family members, farm residents, visitors and other people living in rural communities can also become victims.
The South African Government stated in August 2025, using SAPS figures for January to March 2025, that six murders were reported in farming communities during that quarter: three victims were employees, one was a farm dweller and two were farmers.
Government also reported that 893 of 900 identified rural police stations had fully implemented the National Rural Safety Strategy at the end of that quarter.
These figures illustrate why rural safety should be approached as a community-security issue rather than a narrowly defined occupational issue.

THE CRIMINAL-JUSTICE RESPONSE MATTERS:

Violent rural crime cannot be addressed through security measures alone.
Effective policing requires proper crime-scene management, forensic collection, witness protection, intelligence gathering, suspect identification and arrest, competent investigation, and effective prosecution.
Where evidence exists that victims were tortured or subjected to extreme violence, investigators must establish what happened, who was involved, whether the perpetrators acted together, how they obtained access, what weapons were used, whether the victims were deliberately targeted, and whether the suspects are connected to other offences.
Cases must also be followed through the criminal-justice system.
An arrest is not the same as a conviction, and a conviction depends on admissible evidence and a successful prosecution.

WHAT FARMERS AND RURAL RESIDENTS CAN DO:

No security system can guarantee that an attack will never occur, but risk can be reduced.
Rural residents should consider:
- maintaining functioning alarm, camera and communication systems;
- establishing reliable contact with neighbouring properties;
- participating in recognised rural safety structures and community policing initiatives;
- having a clearly understood emergency plan for family and employees;
- keeping access gates, perimeter areas and vulnerable points properly secured;
- treating unfamiliar visitors and unexpected requests for access with caution;
- verifying contractors, prospective buyers, delivery personnel and service providers before granting access;
- ensuring that employees understand the security procedures;
- reporting suspicious vehicles, persons and activity promptly;
- maintaining updated emergency contact lists;
- ensuring that firearms, where lawfully possessed, are stored and handled in accordance with South African firearms legislation; and
- conducting regular security assessments rather than waiting until after an incident.
The objective is not to create fear. It is to identify vulnerabilities before criminals identify them first.

SSS VIEW:

Specialised Security Services (SSS) regards every violent crime against a rural resident as a serious criminal matter.
The available evidence demonstrates that farm attacks can involve far more than property theft.
Some victims have been subjected to prolonged and extreme violence, while others have been murdered.
At the same time, claims about farm crime must always be tested against reliable evidence and clearly identified sources.
SSS therefore supports a fact-based approach to rural security, stronger cooperation between SAPS, private security, rural communities and agricultural organisations, and competent investigation of every serious attack.
Rural communities have the same right to effective protection and access to justice as every other community in South Africa.

The most disturbing lesson from the latest research is not simply the number of attacks.

It is the evidence that some victims survive extraordinary levels of violence.

The distinction between robbery and extreme violent crime matters because the investigative response

must reflect the seriousness of what actually occurred.

SSS urges farmers, farm workers and rural residents to take preventative security seriously, report suspicious activity

without delay and preserve evidence following an attack. Where a case involves serious investigative concerns,

victims and families should obtain appropriate professional assistance and ensure that all available evidence

is properly documented and preserved.

Specialised Security Services remains focused on crime investigation, crime prevention and public education,

with specialist investigators available to assist with serious and complex cases.

Part 2 will provide important, practical safety measures to help farmers and rural residents

reduce their security risks and improve preparedness for potential attacks.

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