No evidence farm murders are motivated by race – Criminologist, University of Limpopo

Professor Rudolph Zinn, a criminologist at the University of Limpopo, joins John Maytham.

Listen below:

Is there anything suggesting that white farmers are singled out [by perpetrators of farm murders] because they are white, asks John Maytham.

Zinn answers with an unequivocal 'no'.

He is part of a collective of researchers and academics who have carried out significant research on farm attacks in South Africa.

He says that there is no evidence that such attacks are racially motivated.

"I've done a five-year study on farm attacks and interviewed 30 types of offenders..."

- Professor Rudolph Zinn, Criminologist - University of Limpopo

"I couldn't find any racial-specific motivation for any of these people to commit these crimes."

- Professor Rudolph Zinn, Criminologist - University of Limpopo

Zinn says when researchers ask perpetrators about the reasons for their crimes, the answers are the same.

"It's about the money. It's not about the person."

- Professor Rudolph Zinn, Criminologist - University of Limpopo

Moreover, according to Zinn, those incarcerated represent the makeup of the population.

"... I interviewed a white person that is incarcerated for 25 years for the rape of a worker's 13 -year-old daughter on his farm. That is a farm attack."

- Professor Rudolph Zinn, Criminologist - University of Limpopo

Zinn says there is research carried out over 20 years that supports his findings.

Also, he says, the way organised farm unions communicate the stats around farm murders creates a perception that the farmers are singled out.

"If you look at the number of incidents; it's fairly low, it's 49  murders per year, where there are 79 murders per day in South Africa."

- Professor Rudolph Zinn, Criminologist - University of Limpopo

"And it's not all farmers who are equally a target."

- Professor Rudolph Zinn, Criminologist - University of Limpopo

The issue of farm attacks is once again in the spotlight following comments made by US President Donald Trump that 'terrible things' are happening in South Africa.

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