White farmers ‘under attack’, says Sky News

Many South Africans have slammed the report, saying it supports an agenda that seeks to portray white South African farmers as an oppressed group.

While farm murders are a reality in SA, there is much debate as to whether they are targeted and racially motivated or just an example of the criminality that plagues the lives of all South Africans.

Some white farmers in South Africa feel so under threat that they are learning self-defence from an ex-Israeli special forces member in case they are targeted pic.twitter.com/vl444tb8pH

— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 3, 2018

Afriforum’s Ernst Roets and Kallie Kriel are at the forefront of lobbying for support for white farmers in South Africa and for promoting the agenda that they are targeted because of their race. The two toured the US in May and the UK in 2017.

They have been accused by some of spreading falsehoods about South Africa and discouraging much-needed investment. Their narrative has gained support among members of the US, UK and Australian right, including Australian immigration minister Peter Dutton, UK media personality Katie Hopkins and former Grand Wizard of the Klu Klux Klan, David Duke.

AgriSA released stats last week indicating that farm murders are at their lowest in 20 years. AfriForum has rejected these statistics, saying their own stats indicate that these murders are in fact on the rise.

Really now? Portraying our country as anti white farmers is madness. Of course the issue of land is on the agenda and must be resolved.

— Michael Mokoana🇿🇦🇿🇦 (@michaelkhaya) June 3, 2018

Having stayed on a farm in South Africa, I understand there fear and the report is factual for the lives of farmers, but I would say that before farmers and farm workers get tortured and killed there must be a better way to sort it than violence from both sides?

— Pete (@cafc153) June 3, 2018

No, Sky. No.
Your point of departure endorses a racist "swart gevaar" narrative that has been disproved (there is no "white genocide" nor are white farmers disproportionately targeted)…
Stop legitimising "skills transfer" between apartheid pushers. https://t.co/qo6K1jtyWK

— Ottilia Anna MaSibanda (@MaS1banda) June 4, 2018

From one white supremacist apartheid state to anotherhttps://t.co/tl8mtrjjJe

— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) June 4, 2018

There have been several stories in the UK media about the plight of white South Africans that many have slammed, saying they do not reflect the actual situation here.

A 2016 UK Mail Online article claimed that more than 400 000 white South Africans live in poverty. A report by AfricaCheck debunked this, saying that national data suggests that the number is less than a quarter of that.