Hundreds of farmers protested in Johannesburg on Saturday, urging the government to declare growing farm attacks "a crime of priority."

The protesters marched to the office of Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa to deliver a memorandum demanding the prioritization of farm murders.

The protest was part of a campaign launched by AfriForum and Solidarity -- two association of farm owners -- to prioritize the fight against farm attacks and to promote rural safety. "Farm murders are not only a crisis. They are a catastrophe," AfriForum deputy CEO Ernst Roets said in a statement.

He blamed the government for not doing enough to protect farmers who live in remote areas.

Large numbers of farmers were killed and even tortured while the government and the department of police refused to acknowledge that there was a crisis, he said.

In South Africa which has a much higher crime rate than other countries, farmers run a significantly higher risk to be murdered compared to the general public and the police, according to the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI).

Furthermore, although farm attacks occur globally, farm attacks on South African soil are estimated to be 700 percent higher than in any other country in the world, the institute said in its latest report issued on Thursday.

Farmers from different racial groups fall victim to farm attacks, but white farmers stand an even greater risk to become a victim of an attack. In addition, the chances of a farmer being murdered on a farm in South Africa are anything between four to six times higher than the average murder risk rate for the general population, the report claims.

The report criticizes the South African Police Service (SAPS) for neglecting the problem by no longer keeping accurate records of the number of farm attacks. By this time it is indisputable that rural safety and farm attacks in particular constitute a crisis," the institute said. Endi

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