Farm attacks in South Africa: setting the record straight

This policy brief provides evidence and analysis that refutes the claim of a genocide against white farmers. Farm attacks are a serious crime problem requiring dedicated law enforcement attention, but they do not amount to genocide. They represent a small part of violent crime overall in South Africa and their patterns are consistent with criminal rather than political motives. Recent statistics show a decline in violent farm crime. Effective rural safety solutions include stronger policing, community cooperation and tackling the root causes of South Africa&rsquo;s broader crime challenges. &nbsp; About the authors &nbsp; Gareth Newham is the Head of the ISS Justice and Violence Prevention Programme and Lizette Lancaster is the Manager of the ISS Crime and Justice Information and Analysis Hub (crimehub.org). &nbsp; Publications --> Download Policy Brief 201 PDF &nbsp; Development partners This policy brief is funded by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The ISS is also grateful for support from the members of the ISS Partnership Forum: the Hanns Seidel Foundation, the European Union, the Open Society Foundations and the governments of Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. </d