A NATION IN CRISIS: THE EROSION OF SAFETY AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS

Across South Africa’s rural heartlands, a crisis of violence and fear has been allowed to deepen unchecked.
Since 1990, there have been approximately 2,519 reported farm attacks in which victims survived — incidents marked by brutality, humiliation, and psychological terror. These statistics exclude murders, which would make the true toll even more devastating.

By contrast, in the 30 years preceding 1990, under the previous administration, only 94 such attacks were recorded. This staggering increase reveals not only the scale of the problem but the complete collapse of the state’s ability — or willingness — to protect its citizens.

The South African government’s failure to prevent or adequately respond to these crimes amounts to criminal negligence on a national scale. For decades, those who produce the nation’s food have been left to face death and violence alone, while official responses have ranged from denial to indifference.

A CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATION BETRAYED

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa enshrines the rights to:

• Life (Section 11);
• Freedom and security of the person (Section 12);
• Human dignity (Section 10); and
• Economic freedom — through the right to choose one’s trade, occupation or profession freely (Section 22).

These are not symbolic aspirations; they are binding legal guarantees. Yet, for thousands of farmers and their families, these rights exist only in theory.
The repeated failure of law enforcement and government institutions to act with diligence and urgency constitutes a breach of the very social contract between the state and its citizens.

It is unconscionable that those who feed the nation should be among its least protected.

THE CONSEQUENCES: FOOD SECURITY UNDER SIEGE

Farmers are the foundation of South Africa’s food supply.
Every attack that drives a farmer from the land disrupts production, devastates rural economies, and reduces the nation’s agricultural resilience.

The consequences are already visible:

• Declining agricultural output,
• Job losses in farming communities,
• Rising food prices, and
• Increasing dependence on imports.

In short, food security — and therefore national stability — is under direct threat.
This is no longer a problem of individual safety; it is a national crisis with generational consequences.

URBAN PARALLELS: THE CAPE FLATS TRAGEDY

The same state neglect is mirrored in the ongoing gang violence on the Cape Flats.
Here, children are murdered almost weekly, caught in the crossfire of gang wars that the government has failed to control.

Schools in gang-affected communities operate under siege, robbing children of their constitutional right to education.
The state’s failure to combat this epidemic of violence — like its failure to address farm attacks — reflects a systemic dereliction of duty and an erosion of the fundamental values of equality, safety, and human dignity.

OUR LEGAL COMMITMENT: DECLARING PRIORITY CRIMES

It is our firm view that both farm attacks and gang violence must be formally declared priority crimes under South African law.
To this end, our legal team is preparing to approach the High Court of South Africa to obtain an order compelling government to:

1. Declare farm attacks and gang violence priority crimes;
2. Allocate specialised investigative and prosecutorial units; and
3. Develop a national strategy to protect affected communities and restore faith in the rule of law.

If the South African courts fail to act, we will not rest.
We are committed to approaching the international courts and human rights bodies, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations Human Rights Council, to ensure that the criminal negligence of the ANC government is exposed for what it is — a betrayal of the people it claims to serve, and a violation of South Africa’s obligations under international law.

THE MORAL IMPERATIVE

This is no longer a political issue. It is a question of justice, humanity, and the survival of the rule of law.
No government that allows its farmers to be slaughtered and its children to be gunned down can claim moral legitimacy.

The world must know that the South African government has failed in its most basic duty — to protect its citizens.
We will continue to fight, in the courts of South Africa and, if necessary, before the eyes of the world, to ensure accountability, dignity, and justice for all

JOIN THE EFFORT

We call on civil society, agricultural organisations, educators, and all South Africans of conscience to join us in this historic effort.
Together, we can demand that the state fulfil its constitutional obligations and end the culture of impunity that has allowed these atrocities to continue.

Safety. Dignity. Justice.
These are not privileges — they are rights.
And they are worth fighting for.