Dirco disputed the 'inaccurate and distorted account of the facts' in the US Human Rights Report.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) has updating its initial statement challenging the 2024 US Human Rights Report’s assessment of safety conditions in South Africa’s rural and farming communities.
The report, released this month, stated that “South Africa took a substantially worrying step towards land expropriation of Afrikaners and further abuses against racial minorities in the country”.
It highlighted “significant human rights issues”, including unlawful killings, arbitrary arrest and the repression of racial minorities.
“The [South African] government did not take credible steps to investigate, prosecute, and punish officials who committed human rights abuses, including inflammatory racial rhetoric against Afrikaners and other racial minorities, or violence against racial minorities.”
SA government rejects racial motivation claims
Dirco on Wednesday said the South African government wishes to clarify what it called “an inaccurate and distorted account of the facts”.
It said the nation addresses all forms of crime as a significant challenge affecting all citizens, regardless of their race or location.
“The suggestion that these crimes represent a concerted practice of racially motivated attacks, as insinuated by the US report, is not borne out by the facts,” Dirco stated.
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Police statistics challenge US assessment
Official statistics from the South African Police Service (Saps) support the government’s position.
The data covers rural safety for the fourth quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year, from 1 January to 31 March 2025.
Dirco highlighted that during this period, six murder cases occurred in farming communities.
The breakdown of victims demonstrates that crimes do not target a single racial group.
According to the statistics quoted by Dirco, the three victims were farm employees, one was a farm dweller, and two were farmers.
“These figures underscore that violent crime in rural areas affects everyone who lives and works on farms and related rural areas,” the department said.
“While the loss of any life is a tragedy, these statistics do not reveal a pattern of action driven by inflammatory racial rhetoric against a specific community.”
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Rural safety strategy
Dirco said the government continues implementing a multi-disciplinary approach to rural safety.
It said the National Rural Safety Strategy remains a priority and operates in police station areas serving rural and farming communities.
By the end of the fourth quarter of 2024/2025, the strategy had been fully implemented in 893 out of 900 identified rural police stations.
The initiative focuses on strengthening police capacity and encouraging community involvement, including traditional leaders and agricultural organisations.
Parties involved in rural safety strategy
The strategy incorporates multiple stakeholder groups in its implementation.
Commercial farmers associations participate through organisations including:
- African Farmers Association of South Africa,
- National African Farmers’ Union, Agri-SA and its provincial structures, and
- Transvaal Agricultural Union.
Labour unions also play a role, particularly the Food and Allied Workers Union and organisations advocating for farm workers’ rights.
Interest groups such as AfriForum, the South African Agricultural Research Institute, and Stop Attacks and Farm Murders contribute to the collaborative effort.
Private sector collaboration
The government said it actively strengthens public-private partnerships through specialised programmes.
“Furthermore, we are actively strengthening public-private partnerships through initiatives like the Eyes and Ears (E2) programme, coordinated with Business Against Crime South Africa (Bacsa),” the department stated.
This initiative utilises the private security industry’s technological and logistical capabilities, which improve response times to rural crimes.
Commitment to transparency
Dirco said South Africa maintains its commitment to transparent and collaborative crime-fighting approaches.
The government expressed readiness to engage with other countries on matters of mutual interest through established diplomatic channels.
“We stand ready to engage with any nation on matters of mutual interest through established diplomatic channels, and we will continue to provide accurate, data-driven information to counter any misrepresentations of our domestic situation,” the department concluded.
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