White genocide in South Africa: AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel on why the media focuses on this topic

Most South Africans don’t believe there is a white genocide in South Africa, but the topic continues to enjoy widespread exposure.

Polling by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) in March 2026 found that 72% of South Africans disagreed that there was a white genocide in South Africa. Only 19% agreed.

Civil organisations like AfriForum and Solidarity have also distanced themselves from claims of a white genocide in the country.

This raises the question of why the topic continues to enjoy media exposure when virtually no high-profile South African organisations make this claim.

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel believes that the ‘white genocide’ narrative is a deliberate tool to downplay the severity of farm murders.

“The unfortunate thing is that people want a license to downplay the issue of farm murders and the violence associated with it,” he said.

“The genocide debate is brought into farm murders by media institutions, because arguing over genocide gives them a pretext to argue that the situation isn’t that bad.”

He cited the situation on the East Rand, where many women were murdered. “That is a horrific issue, and everything possible must be done to catch those criminals,” he said.

“We ought to be able to address that specific crime directly and ask how to address this and what strategy is needed.”

However, someone may reply that more men are killed on the East Rand than women, and that women should not get special treatment.

“That would be ludicrous. Nobody could imagine anyone saying something so insensitive,” Kriel said.

“Yet, when looking at farm murders, critics say that only 37 farmers were murdered compared to many more people overall. They completely disregard proportionality.”

“It is statistically far more dangerous to be a farmer, and your chances of being killed are significantly higher than for the average population.”

The government refuses to prioritise farm attacks

Kriel said that, although the government acts against other crimes, it fails to handle farm attacks with the same urgency.

• Gang Violence: The government acknowledged that gang violence in certain areas is extremely high, declared it a priority crime, set up anti-gang units, and deployed the military.

• Gender-Based Violence: The government identified violence against women and children as a terrible issue that needs addressing, made it a priority crime, and set up dedicated task teams.

• Rhino Poaching: The government recognised rhino poaching requires a specific strategy and made it a priority crime.

“However, the government refuses to prioritise or take on farm attacks in South Africa,” Kriel said.

“We have every right to put a spotlight on this issue. This is not to claim it is more important than other crimes.”

He said that there are many things about farm murders in South Africa which should concern the government.

• Incitement: It is the only category of crime where public figures explicitly incite violence, such as chanting “Kill the farmer”, without widespread condemnation.

• Extreme Torture: The level of torture involved in farm attacks is grossly disproportionate.

• Proportional Risk: Independent research shows that if your home is attacked on a farm, your chances of being killed are seven times higher than in an urban home invasion.

The AfriForum CEO said that debating whether or not this constitutes ‘white genocide’ misses the point.

“The best way to end that debate is to condemn chants like ‘Kill the farmer’ and declare farm attacks a priority crime,” he said.

“The government should also commit police, civil society, neighbourhood watches, farm watches, and private security to a joint strategy.”

“Ultimately, the genocide debate is used as a distraction to allow people to deny the real, underlying issues.”