It is said that between 1500 and 3000 farmers have been murdered in South Africa since 1994. (Amazingly there seems to be no reliable statistics on this.)
A monument on a hill outside Polokwane to farms attacks. Each cross allegedly symbolises one killing.
One of the arguments that is often trotted out by progressives when the murders of farmers is debated is that this number is regrettable but to be expected.
Just sort of 20,000 South Africans are murdered every year. Obviously farmers would make up some of these numbers.
But as somebody on the UK Guardian Comment is Free blogs pointed out, this comparison is very deceiving.
I saw one figure of 50,000 South African farmers. If 200 are killed in one year, that’s one in 250, per year.
There are some 40m people in South Africa. If the rate of murder is 20k, that’s one in 2,000 for being randomly murdered in a year.
That is not quite right. The actual amount of farmers have dropped to 40,000. If we take a conservative estimate of 1,500 murders (100 per year) since 1994, then the chances of being murdered is still startling. You have a one in 400 chance to be killed. That is 0.2% chance.
Is that a lot?
How does that compare with a country like the UK?
The chance of being murdered in the UK is 0.002% pa. Or a one in 50,000 chance per year. Your 125 times more likely to be murdered as a South African farmer than a UK citizen in this calculation.
But how does this comparison stack up when measured against South Africa as a whole?
South Africans in general have a one in 2,100 chance of being murdered per anum. That is a farmer is 5 times more likely to be murdered than an average South African.
Another way to look at farm murders is to compare it to the number of South African troops that died in the Border War (Grensoorlog) from 1975 to 1989. That figure was only 900. There were many more soldiers who fought that war than farmers in South Africa today.
I suspect that if one were to compare the ration of police killed in South Africa to farmers, farmers might come out ‘on top’ as well. I will try and find the numbers.
Does this mean farmers are being targetted because of a deliberate political campaign? Not necessarily. Farming is increasingly an unattractive career option and the farming population aging. It might also be that they are perceived as isolated and weak. Easy prey. This is supported by the fact that many farm workers have been killed as well. How many is not clear. (Anybody with info please share.)
This however is no excuse for singing songs that exhort the ‘Killing of Boers’.
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5 responses so far ↓
1 griffin // Apr 7, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Jy kan nie die grensoorlog sterftes vergelyk met plaasmoorde nie. Ook nie polisiesterftes nie. Ek sou raai dat elke soldaat gewapen was en so ook meeste polisiebeamptes. Plus hulle moes at least een of ander tipe training gehad het. Hoewel boere of civilians in baie gevalle wapens besit word hulle meeste van die tyd met hulle eie wapens vermoor waarna dit gebuit word.
Suid Afrika se polulasie is ook baie nader aan 50 mil (as dit nie meer is nie).
Die beraming vir moorde is ook ver oor 20k. Daar is iewers stats wat reken dat soveel as 125 mense per dag vermoor word wat die stats oor die 40k neem. Meeste moorde gebeur ook steeds waar domestic violence betrokke is en gevolglik is vrouens en kinders oorhersend die victims.
Nie alles haal die koerante nie, nie alles haal die stats nie en nie almal kry die stats te sien nie. Daar is verlede week iemand twee blokke van ons huis af vermoor. Dit was nie eers in die local koerant nie. Ook was dit bestempel as ‘n “person that got killed in a hi-jacking” en word nie noodwendig opgechalk as moord nie, wat dit presies is.
2 Kameraad Mhambi // Apr 7, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Haai Grif. Anthony Altbeker – gevierde crime specialist meen dat daar baie bedrog is in die syfers, maar dat dit moeilik is om met moord te kroek en dat dit van ons beste syfers verteenwoordig.
Ek weet SA se bevolking is nader eintlik veel meer maar ek het beluit om konserwatief te wees in my beraming.
3 Kameraad Mhambi // Apr 7, 2010 at 4:09 pm
PS: ” ‘n Groot aantal van die 900 sterftes gedurende die Grensoorlog was ongelukke en daar was ‘n paar self-moorde ook.”
4 z // Apr 8, 2010 at 8:56 am
Hierdie is oud maar was ‘n interessante studie, ek het nie alles gelees nie (dis baie), net hier en daar en die opsomming:
http://www.issafrica.org/CJM/farmrep/index.htm
5 Raymond Mlilo // Apr 8, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Well trully speaking the fact is it seems a white farmers life has just gained more value than the ordinary BLACK mens life in South Africa, comparing the number of white farmers that have died and the number of black ordinary South Africans that have died during the above mentioned period the answer is terribly obvious.Once the white man in South Africa comes to the rude awakening that he is indeed the same as the black men in all terms (dezelfde) , on that day my brothers and sisters sanity will prevail in the land of my four fathers.
It is very unfortunate that even though equality may become pronounced the demon of poverty amoungst the BROWNS will not be easily exorcised ( een dat is echt jammer)! because that poverty demon that was injected by forces of imperialism comes hence forth with terrible repucations,theft ,rape, murder, fraude the list of these unGodly things is endless and it affects all races no discrimination when it comes to this issue.
I would like to end by stating again that the realisation and awakening of the white race in South Africa will be the beginning of a wonderful South Africa.As long as there is still the steroetypical ideology that Sandton surburbs or wherever it maybe in the Capestaad surbubs will be inhabitated by those of a different skin pigmentation and whilist in Soweto those also of a totally contrasting skin colour are finding refuge not shelter! but refuge then South Africa will never be safe for all races(het blijft altijd gevaalijk)
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