That's utter nonsense. There have been many recorded farm murder on black-owned farms. There was a Carte Blanche episode about this very issue last year...
I request that I amend my statement then, and apologise for assuming incorrectly. I was reading through the summary of the last official report into farm murders and attacks that was carried out by an investigating team in the SAPS in 2003 when I was busy posting, found
here.
While its true that black-owned farms and farmers were victims of attacks, the proportion of black victims increased, I suppose, thanks to farms that were bought by the state and then given to communities and black buyers in order to give more of the land back to the people. That probably skews the ratios the media tend to use, but we won't know for sure until the next study how things have panned out. A lot of the crimes seem to be motivated by theft, but I doubt the ones on black farms are as vicious as the ones we read about on white farms. The report details that as of 2001, there were 45 well-known or high-profile cases that caught the attention of the media and newspapers and were continually referred to.
"The selection of cases can be criticised on three grounds: firstly almost all of them fall in the category of very serious farm attacks; secondly, there were relatively few black victims involved; and thirdly, only two of the attacks occurred on smallholdings."
It goes on to detail statistics of the well-known incidences, noting that out of the 45 discussed in the report, there was a total of 3500 cases analysed since 1991, with most falling between 1998 and 2001, the end of which report begins its analysis. Yes, while there were few black victims involved, its never noted how many of the farms targeted were black-owned. In fact, its actually impossible to track how many farmers there actually were during the report's period.
It remains to be actually proven beyond doubt that the attacks are racially-motivated, but the following segment provides a little more insight into it:
"In 7 of the 45 cases there was evidence that the attackers had prior knowledge of the circumstances obtaining on the targeted farms or smallholdings, while in 6 cases they had reconnoitred the areas. In two cases they approached the farm on some innocent pretext, such as wanting to buy something. In nine of the cases the victims were ambushed away from the farmhouse, perhaps while travelling along the road, while in eight cases the attackers broke into the house while the owners were away and waited for them to return. In four cases the employees or other inmates of the house were overpowered and tied up first by the attackers, who then waited for the farmer to return. In two cases the attacks were thwarted, while in the rest of the cases the victims were overpowered inside the house. In 26 (57.8%) of the case studies the attack took place inside the house, compared to 50.8% for farm attacks in general during 2001.
In the 45 cases there were a total of 110 victims, with an average of 2,4 victims per case. The average for farm attacks in general in 2001 was 1.4 victims per incident. In all but 8 of the cases murder was committed, a total of 49 (44.5%) of the victims being killed, including a young girl. This is much higher than the national average of 10.5% for 2001, which emphasises the seriousness of the case studies. In two cases the victims were killed while trying to flee from the attackers, in four cases they were killed while offering some resistance, and in at least six cases the victims were killed execution style, sometimes even with their hands tied behind their backs. In a few cases there was some logical reason for killing the victims, such as to prevent later identification, but in no less than 32 instances (71.1%) it would seem that there was no real reason for killing the victims. Eight of the victims were black and two coloured. One black and one coloured victim were killed."
In 42 of the case studies, robbery was committed. Nothing was stolen by the attackers in only three of the cases. In two of those cases the victims drove off after being ambushed and wounded in their cars, while in the third the attack was thwarted when the police arrived on the scene, but even in these three cases it can be said with a fair degree of certainty that the primary motive for the attacks was robbery. Unfortunately the statistics in this regard for farm attacks in general are inconclusive. In six of the cases revenge was mentioned as one of the motives, while in seven cases there were overt racial or political overtones. (In one of these cases, however, the purpose of the racist remarks was patently to mislead the police.) In all the cases where the motive might have been revenge or of a racial or political nature, the attackers also robbed items. One also cannot exclude the possibility that some of those attackers who claimed that the attacks had been motivated by political or racial issues, did so in order to evoke some sympathy."
Despite the low number of cases, the report notes that in 32 instances
there was no need to kill the victims. They wouldn't be able to identify the attackers and they would only be able to report the incident to the police and the investigation would have been dropped without further evidence. Its never noted officially what the race of the attackers were in all 45 cases, but they were all in their late 20s by average.
"There were at least 114 attackers involved in the 45 case studies. (In some cases there might have been more than the known number of attackers.) There were therefore an average of 2.5 perpetrators in each attack. Four of the attackers were killed by the security forces or other farmers. In six cases the perpetrators could not be traced or there was insufficient evidence for a prosecution. Two of the prosecutions led to an acquittal because the State could not prove the case. In the other 36 cases some 78 accused were convicted. Their ages varied between 15 and 47, the average being 25.5 years. Most were in their twenties."
Look, I'm not trying to say the murders of black farm-owners and victims should be ignored - its just not reported often enough in the media and in official documentation available to the public to make any great assumption about all the attacks perpetrated. (hey, I'm white. But then again, what do I know? Its not like I have five family friends and a few high school mates who are farmers in rural areas that have been targeted before. Just sayin') But it speaks volumes that the ones we do know about, which mostly focus on white victims, are brutal and senseless in the violence seen. Its needless violence that gets the media's attention. 34.6% of farm attacks only result in assault or attempted murder as of 2001, and its not as widely reported.
Perhaps I'm going off-tangent here, but the high number of murder victims does turn this into a worrying trend that only
seems to be increasing as time goes on. How many farmers are actually left in the areas that have been heavily targeted in the past? We simply don't know. Do you even know how many security firms there are left that are allowed to police and patrol the farms with permission to use deadly force? The government curbs that as well - in 2003 they disbanded many of the operating groups on the basis of the fact that they had been "
part of the apartheid state's security apparatus".
As of April 27, 2010, its on public record that the number of deaths in farm attacks has amounted to 3361. That's over 3300 lives ended needlessly. There's even a
list drawn up here with all the names (which appear predominantly white) of the deceased, and also includes those still in comas and black farmworkers who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Its just so...tragic. And so very sad, and it makes me angry that people dismiss Visagie's words as that of a rambling lunatic. Maybe he's had friends die too, you know? I mean, Bin Laden was a freedom fighter for his country before the CIA gave him loads of guns to further their own agenda in Iraq. Can't really call a spade a spade until we know that , without a doubt, it is indeed a spade.
Get my point?