60 Minutes Report Challenges Narrative of White Farmer Genocide in South Africa

• A 60 Minutes investigation in Northern KwaZulu-Natal has challenged claims of a “white farmer genocide” in South Africa
• The report featured Rene Nel, widow of Tollie Nel, killed in a June 2024 home invasion, and showed that the crosses along rural roads symbolise lives lost on farms, not targeted killings
• Experts and local farmers emphasised that black farmers have also been victims, and low conviction rates, while concerning, do not indicate an orchestrated campaign against any racial group

KWAZULU-NATAL – A 60-Minutes investigative segment has shed new light on claims of a so-called “genocide” against white farmers in South Africa, a narrative widely circulated internationally but highly disputed locally.

Correspondent Anderson Cooper travelled to Northern KwaZulu-Natal, focusing on a rural, pothole-strewn road near Darrel Brown’s farm, the same road where Brown placed white crosses featured in a controversial video promoted by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

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There, Cooper spoke to Brown, who explained that the crosses were installed on the day of his friends Glen and Vida Rafferty’s funeral, who were murdered during a 2020 robbery, and later for farmer Tollie Nel, who was killed in June 2024.

Murder of Theunis “Tollie” Nel

In the interview, Rene Nel, widow of Theunis “Tollie” Nel, recounted the June 13 attack that claimed her husband’s life. Nel says she would not call what happened to her husband a genocide, but an opportunistic attack.

"They knew we had cash and guns," she said

Briefly News spoke with Northern Natal investigative journalist Estella Naicker, who covered the Nel murder. Nel, 63, a respected farmer and businessman at Krommellenboog Farm along the R34 between Newcastle and Utrecht, was shot multiple times during a home invasion in which five armed, balaclava-clad men stole five firearms before fleeing on foot.

Their son, Theunis Nel Jr., who lives in a house behind the main residence, was tied up during the attack. Items believed to belong to the suspects were later found discarded along the R34. The murder case was handed over to the Provincial Murder and Robbery Unit of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI); however, no arrests have been made to date.

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Northern KZN farmers refute ‘Genocide’ claims

Northern KwaZulu-Natal farmers further refuted claims of a genocide after former President Donald Trump broadcast the “white crosses” video from the White House. They said the crosses are symbolic, representing lives lost on farms over the years, and are not an indication of systematic ethnic targeting. Naicker noted that black farmers have also been victims of similar violent crimes. Following the Raffertys’ murder, Premier Sihle Zikalala and then-Police Minister Bheki Cele hosted engagement sessions to de-escalate tensions between farm owners and farm communities in the aftermath of the attack.

Research shows motive is robbery, not race-based

Research by the ISS Crime Hub supports these observations, showing that the motive behind farm attacks in South Africa is almost always robbery, with occasional cases linked to labor disputes or domestic violence. Claims that white farmers face a higher murder risk than the general public have not been proven. While low conviction rates for farm attacks—highlighted in an AfriForum study showing only 18% of cases between 2016 and 2021 resulting in convictions—can fuel fears, experts emphasise that these incidents do not constitute genocide.

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Articles on farm murders

Deon Du Toit (6) was discovered lifeless on his smallholding along the R102 in Humansdorp, Eastern Cape on 27 January 2026, with signs of violent trauma. Five men have been arrested in connection with his murder and appeared in the Humansdorp Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 2 February 2026.

The murder of African Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA) KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Mbongeni Sikhakhane once again threw the issue of farm murders into the national spotlight, while also sparking heated debate on social media over whose deaths receive public advocacy and attention. Sikhakhane was fatally shot at his home in Sweetwaters, Pietermaritzburg, on Friday, 26 December 2025.

Briefly News also reported that three farmers from the North West Province have been found guilty by the Pretoria High Court of murdering farm dweller Dumisani Phakathi during a violent assault in September 2023. The brutal killing occurred as Phakathi was collecting water near the farm gate, and investigators later discovered his body during a police stop‑and‑search operation.

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Source: Briefly News