Genocide Watch: South Africa Still a High-Risk Country

Genocide Stages Advancing in South Africa

In 2011, Genocide Watch, led by its founder Dr. Gregory Stanton, a former U.S. State Department official, shocked the international community by declaring that South Africa had reached Stage 6 of the 10 stages of genocide.

Fourteen years later, that warning remains unchanged, and according to Edwin Leemans, the man who first brought Stanton to South Africa, the situation has only worsened.

“We presented Stanton with case files, autopsy photos, and direct witness interviews. He told me South Africa had already passed through stages 6, 7, and 8. Stage 6 is preparation. Stage 7 is extermination. Stage 8 is denial,” Leemans said in an extensive sit-down interview.

Despite repeated attempts by the South African government to downplay or ridicule these warnings, Leemans and other investigators say there is ample evidence pointing not just to systemic failure, but active complicity.

Beyond Crime

The Rome Statute, which South Africa signed in 1998 and ratified in 2002, defines genocide as acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

For years, critics have dismissed the killing of rural farmers as mere criminality. But Leemans argues that the nature, frequency, and brutality of these attacks reveal something far more sinister.

“This isn’t about the number of victims,” he said. “It’s about how they are killed. Breasts cut off. Genitals mutilated. Bibles burned onto bodies with hot irons. Children forced to watch. This is not ‘regular’ crime.”

Over the past three decades, Leemans and his team at the Rome Statute Research Institute have compiled more than 3,000 detailed case files of attacks on white farmers - 80% of which show clear signs of genocidal or military-style intent.

One of the most horrific cases involved an elderly couple. The husband, in his 80s, had his genitals removed and stuffed into his mouth while his wife was raped. The attackers reportedly said, “Speak louder, your wife can’t hear you,” during the ordeal.

State Denial and Possible Involvement

Leemans believes the South African government is not only failing to act but may be actively obstructing justice. He explains how death certificates are often misclassified as “heart attack” during violent attacks, police evidence mysteriously disappears, and cases are dropped without explanation. Alarmingly, Interpol-grade military signal jammers, costing up to $80,000, have been found at crime scenes, raising serious questions about who supplies such advanced equipment to rural attackers.

“We asked how a criminal trying to steal a microwave can afford a 1.5 million rand jammer. There’s no answer. That’s why we began investigating potential state terrorism,” Leemans said.

He also claims hospitals often discourage rape victims from reporting crimes, a systemic effort, he argues, to suppress statistics. This aligns with broader concerns that South Africa’s violent crime rates, especially against white minorities and rural communities, are being artificially lowered.

International Law Ignored at Home

Although South Africa remains a formal signatory to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute serious international crimes, Leemans says it has never fully implemented the ICC’s required legal frameworks domestically. As a result, international law, especially regarding crimes like genocide, cannot be effectively enforced within South Africa’s legal system.

Ironically, South Africa is now bringing a case against Israel at the ICC for alleged genocide in Gaza, despite its own domestic conduct toward white farmers and the public incitement by political leaders going unpunished.

Former President Jacob Zuma was filmed singing “Bring me my machine gun” and “Shoot the Boer,” yet no public officials have faced consequences for such remarks.

What Comes Next?

Leemans admits his age is catching up with him, but he hopes others will continue gathering evidence and pushing for accountability.

“We need independent NGOs, citizen watchdogs, and international partners to keep up the pressure. Otherwise, nothing will change,” he said.

As of June 2025, South Africa remains officially listed by Genocide Watch at Stage 6: Polarization, which includes both open incitement and targeting of truth-tellers. While the ANC government continues to accuse critics of exaggeration, the testimonies and evidence compiled over decades are becoming harder to ignore.

If the world is willing to listen to South Africa’s accusations of genocide elsewhere, shouldn’t it, at the very least, investigate the growing body count in its own backyard?

Willem Petzer

Commentator | Opinion Maker

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Edwin Leemans

Founder of the Rome Statute Research Institute