Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

2 min read | 6:56 pm CAT

Farm killings are a contentious issue in the country. Author and violence analyst Dr Nechama Brodie has written a new book in which she challenges many myths narrating farm killings. She includes nearly a century of news reports, statistical data, legal cases and expert research on farm violence, including violence experienced by farm labourers and in black communities surrounding mostly white-owned farmlands.

Farm killings form part of the broader crime phenomenon and challenge and are not specifically about racial motivation.

In an interview with Radio Islam International, Dr Nechama Brodie said data for the last seven decades strongly show that most farm attacks are criminally motivated.

According to Dr Brodie, there is a significant market demand for firearms, which could be why farmers are specific targets. And farmers often keep cash in their houses to pay labourers; these are the items where perpetrators attack wildly to access them as they are usually held in safes.

She said since the 1990s, the way the question of farm attacks and killings is being handled has become a massive political gain.

“For politicians it’s an opportunity for them to get a lot of media attention as well as hype up the drama and the emotion of people that they hope will vote for them,” she says.

She added there is no foresight of politicians moving towards solutions which would be helpful.

Regarding the recommendations for addressing farm killings, Dr Brodie said the government needs to acknowledge it more clearly as a problem as communities in rural areas feels vulnerable.

She says, “The farming unions that represent farming interests should build cohesion instead of trying to capitalise of race based fear.”

Listen below to the interview with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat and Dr Nechama Brodie on Radio Islam’s podcast.