South Africa’s Farm Attacks: A Deliberate Campaign of Ideological Violence Tied to Government-Linked Crime

Farm attacks in South Africa are a systematic campaign of violence orchestrated by crime syndicates, often with alleged government ties, aimed at intimidating and displacing farmers, particularly white ones, according to a 2017 thesis by University of Limpopo researcher Cristopher Gumbi and supporting news reports. Gumbi’s findings reveal that 78% of these attacks between 2005 and 2015 in Limpopo and Mpumalanga were driven by ideological motives rather than theft, using military tactics, child informants, and insider knowledge, while police negligence exacerbates a crisis threatening the nation’s food security and economy.

Gumbi’s 117-page Master’s thesis in Criminology and Criminal Justice, completed in September 2017, draws from interviews with 23 survivors aged 38 to 88, documenting a decade of terror in South Africa’s rural regions. Survivors described military-style assaults, such as one incident where over 60 shots were fired into a home, killing a farmer as he called for help, with attackers fleeing without stealing anything but shouting threats. Another farmer faced 12 armed men who declared their goal was to “take control of the farm.” Gumbi found that attackers often showed formal training, collecting spent cartridges to avoid evidence, running 4 km to getaway vehicles, and changing clothes to evade recognition. Some were identified as South African or Zimbabwean nationals with military backgrounds.

Insider involvement is a disturbing trend. Attackers frequently knew farm layouts, safe locations, and weapon storage, suggesting complicity from farm workers or local teens. In 39% of cases, survivors recognized their assailants, with one woman identifying an attacker by voice during a repeat assault in 2014. Gumbi also uncovered the use of children as informants, exploited by syndicates because they cannot be prosecuted. One survivor quoted an attacker: “These cell groups have kingpins in every town who use kids for stealing… This is a well-planned operation involving police, public prosecutors, judges, magistrates, to high-ranking officials of the government.”

The attacks are rooted in historical land disputes from Apartheid, which left white farmers owning most farmland, as noted in a 2012 Reuters report. Political rhetoric, such as calls for land expropriation without compensation by some groups, has been blamed for fueling violence, with survivors in Gumbi’s study citing revenge as a motive. A 2017 Daily Sun report detailed the bust of a 9-member syndicate in Limpopo, including former cops, targeting white farmers in military-style attacks, highlighting the organized nature of the violence.

Police failure deepens the crisis. Survivors reported negligence, evidence mishandling, and lack of follow-up, leading to widespread mistrust. Gumbi wrote, “Negligence and dereliction of duties are evident,” recommending that farm attacks be classified as a distinct crime with mandatory minimum sentences. He also urged rural security to be a national priority, debated in Parliament, and called for addressing racial stereotypes in agriculture to reduce tensions.

The issue remains critical in 2025, with recent discussions echoing Gumbi’s findings. Despite a 2019 Rural Safety Strategy, critics argue implementation is inadequate. These attacks threaten South Africa’s economy, heavily reliant on rural agriculture, and Gumbi warned in 2017 they endanger food security—a concern amplified today amid global supply chain challenges. Without decisive action, this crisis, described as an “evil within” by The Observer in 2017, will continue to devastate South Africa’s rural communities.

Credit : Paul Hattingh

🔴☠️‼️FARM ATTACKS — AN ORGANISED EVIL FROM WITHIN

Based on the documented findings of researcher Cristopher Gumbi and journalist Yolande Nel, writing for The Observer.

Farm attacks in South Africa are not isolated incidents of economic desperation. They… pic.twitter.com/3OL8eMXaTQ

— My Turn – South Africa (@AliceVLAuthor) May 29, 2025

Sources:

• Gumbi, Cristopher. “An Investigation into the Motivational Factors for Farm Attacks and Its Consequential Injurious Phenomena in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, 2005-2015.” Master’s Thesis, University of Limpopo, 2017.
• “Farm Attacks – An Evil Within.” The Observer / The Citizen, November 2, 2017.
• “9-Member Farm Attack Syndicate Busted!” The Daily Sun, October 26, 2017.
• “Farm Murders Highlight Apartheid’s Toxic Legacy in South Africa.” Reuters, November 29, 2012.