Farm murder figures – TAU SA

The 14 April 2015 murder of an Eastern Cape farmer brought the total number of farm murders in South Africa to 19 so far this year.

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This meant that, on average, a farm murder was carried out every five and a half days during the first 104 days of this year. TAU SA has kept detailed up-to-date annual statistics of farm murders in the country going back to 1990. These statistics reveal that, since 1990, 1 737 farmers, family members, farm workers, farm worker family members and visitors to farms had been murdered. This equates to a farm murder being carried out every 5,3 days over the 9 234 days from 1 January 1990 to 14 April 2015.

While the farm murder figures were accurate, it had been difficult to obtain accurate details for SA’s farm attacks  since 1 January 1990, said TAU SA’s assistant general manager for policy liaison, Chris van Zyl.

Farm attacks “are not always reported in the media and therefore the figures are to be regarded as extremely conservative”, he said.

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TAU SA said the figures it had been able to collate showed that at least 3 494 farm attacks had taken place in SA from 1 January 1990 to 14 April 2015.

Lieutenant Khaya Tonjeni, spokesperson for the Eastern Cape SAPS, identified the farmer murdered on his farm near Seymour on 14 April as Ndiphiwe Maxham (69).

“No arrests have been made as yet but SAPS detectives are following up leads,” said Tonjeni in a statement.