AfriForum has been involved in responding to farm attacks and murders since the organisation was established as part of the Solidarity Movement in 2006.
This response initially involved various awareness raising campaigns both in South Africa and abroad. Local campaigns include lobbying the South African government to recognise farm murders as a priority crime, marches and peaceful protests against farm murders and sending petitions to the Minister of Police, while international campaigns include informing and addressing international organisations such as the United Nations about the phenomenon of farm attacks. However, over the past couple of years AfriForum has intensified its commitment to the fight against both farm attacks and other forms of criminal activities by expanding its safety and security network. This expansion includes increasing the number of neighbourhood watches across the country, the establishment of a trauma unit to assist victims of farm attacks and offering training programmes to farmers, including first-aid classes, firearm handling and radio communication instruction.7 The purpose of this report is to evaluate convictions regarding farm attacks and murders. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of whether strategies such as the National Rural Safety Strategy (NRSS) of the SAPS (South African Police Service) and the fight against farm attacks are effective, one cannot merely rely on the frequency of these attacks as an indicator. A more comprehensive evaluation of the South African criminal justice system, including the performance of the courts and prosecuting authorities, is necessary to assess whether strategies to curb farm attacks are effective. The South African Judiciary emphasises that resolving and reducing the backlog of criminal cases is a fundamental step in enhancing the public’s trust in the judicial system.
