Police must disclose farm murder statistics to AfriForum



The Pretoria High Court has ruled that the South African Police Service (SAPS) must provide civil rights organisation AfriForum with statistics regarding on farm murders and attacks between 1990 and 2015. Judge Nicolene Janse van Nieuwenhuizen also ordered police to furnish details of the methodology used to gather the statistics. The information must be provided within 30 days.AfriForum brought the court application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act. This is after it was discovered that despite the government announcing in 2007 that it would no longer collect any statistics on farm murders‚ it had continued to do so.In March 2015‚ the then National Police Commissioner‚ General Riah Phiyega‚ who was later axed‚ disclosed that police were still updating the statistics for “operational reasons”‚ but not publishing them.“We regard the matter as a huge breakthrough in the battle against farm murders. The police are collecting these statistics‚ but have refused since 2007 to present it to the public. At last the public will also know what the police knows.“However‚ it is tragic that one had to fight all the way to the High Court to obtain this basic information‚” said Ernst Roets‚ Deputy CEO of AfriForum.He said the publication of the statistics was the first step in prioritising farm murders.