PRETORIA, Gauteng — AgriSA CEO Johann Kotzé has called for a comprehensive rural safety infrastructure partnership to combat South Africa’s violent crime emergency, firmly rejecting the narrative that farm murders constitute a genocide against white communities.
In a recent interview discussing his newly published opinion piece, Kotzé addressed the severe brutality of farm attacks while drawing a clear line between horrific violent crime and the legal definition of genocide. He emphasized that under international law, genocide requires a specific intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group—a threshold that has not been established in South Africa.
According to Kotzé, labeling the crisis as a genocide distracts from the actual issue and racializes a problem that affects the entire rural population. He stressed that farm violence does not only target white landowners; it devastates the broader rural community, including farm workers, their families, and visitors. By focusing on a single race, he argued, the narrative alienates the very communities needed to build unity and fight crime effectively.
Kotzé strongly criticized the lobbying efforts by organizations such as AfriForum in the United States, where representatives have presented the genocide narrative to the US administration. He warned that this approach polarizes South Africans, undermines the national ethos of Ubuntu, and pushes the country backward. To illustrate that brutal violence is a widespread national crisis rather than an isolated racial issue, he pointed to recent mass killings in Klerksdorp, Cape Town, and Carletonville, which claimed dozens of lives across different demographics.
Beyond the social division, Kotzé highlighted the severe economic risks associated with the genocide narrative. He warned that lobbying the US government with this framing could trigger punitive measures, such as the revocation of South Africa’s benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Losing AGOA would economically devastate rural areas, exacerbating poverty—which he identified as one of the greatest drivers of crime. He questioned whether the resulting economic damage and loss of export opportunities could ultimately be viewed as a form of economic sabotage.
Instead of racial politics, Kotzé is advocating for investment, cooperation, and practical solutions. He proposed a “rural safety infrastructure partnership” designed to modernize the response to rural crime. This strategy involves mapping existing camera networks, communications, and control room coverage, and directly connecting verified local intelligence with state investigators to ensure crimes are solved successfully.
Ultimately, Kotzé maintained that South Africa’s farmers—regardless of race or farm size—simply want to operate safely, feed the nation, and contribute to the economy. He urged all South Africans to reject divisive politics and unite as communities to decisively combat the violent crime emergency affecting the entire country.
