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Elderly White South African Farmer, 73, Killed in Farm Attack
A 73-year-old white South African farmer was killed and his wife seriously injured during a violent farm attack on their property in Roodekoppies, approximately 9 miles east of Brits, on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.
The incident, reported by the Transvaal Agricultural Union (TLU), marks the 124th farm murder in South Africa this year, reigniting concerns over rural crime in the country.
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The victim, identified as Gerhard Grobler, was fatally stabbed during the attack, which occurred at the couple’s farm. According to police reports, four suspects broke into the home through a kitchen window, assaulted the couple, and fled with their pickup truck. Grobler’s wife, whose name has not been released, sustained serious injuries and was rushed to a local hospital, where she remains in critical condition.
The stolen vehicle was later recovered in a nearby township, but the suspects remain at large. Constable Ben Mohl, a spokesperson for the local police, stated, “We are doing everything in our power to track down and apprehend the suspects.” Authorities are treating the case as a murder and robbery and have urged the public to share any relevant information by contacting their nearest police station or calling Crime Stop at 08600 10111.
The TLU, a prominent agricultural organization in South Africa, has highlighted the growing number of farm attacks in the country, reporting 352 such incidents in 2024 alongside the 124 murders. Bennie van Zyl, the TLU’s general manager, condemned the attack, calling it further evidence of spiraling crime rates in South Africa. “Our farmers are targets,” Van Zyl said in a statement. “The violence against farmers is unacceptable, and the government must take immediate action To address crime in this country.”
The attack has drawn significant attention on social media, with Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, a civil rights organization advocating for Afrikaner interests, posting about the incident on X. Kriel criticized those who downplay farm attacks, noting the severity of the issue in rural communities.
South Africa has long grappled with high crime rates, ranking second globally for assault and murder per capita and first for rapes per capita in a United Nations survey from 1990 to 2000. More recent statistics from the South African Police Service (SAPS) indicate that the country recorded 21,683 murders in the 2023/2024 period, with violent crime continuing to rise in urban centers. While farm murders represent a small fraction of this total, they have become a focal point in discussions about racial tensions and crime, given the country’s history of apartheid and land disputes.
AfriForum and the TLU have called for stronger government action, including the establishment of specialized police units to address farm attacks, which they argue should be classified as priority crimes. Critics, however, argue that the focus on farm murders often overshadows broader crime trends affecting all South Africans, particularly in impoverished communities where violence is more prevalent.
The South African government has yet to respond to the latest incident.
Despite these measures, many South Africans, both rural and urban, continue to live in fear as violent crime rates show no significant decline.
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