Central SA
Farm activist walks 1,000km to Union Buildings over farm killings─── ZENANDE MPAME 12:09 Fri, 17 Jul 2026
“If the president ignores us, we will sleep outside the Union Buildings until we see him,” says farm activist Petrus Phakamile Sitho.
He‘s on his way to the seat of government in Pretoria, passing through Bloemfontein on Friday (17/7), as part of a more than 1,000km walk to raise awareness about farm killings.
Sitho hopes the cross-country journey will draw national attention to the impact of attacks on farmers and farm workers, while urging government to strengthen rural safety measures.
He said he grew up on a farm and he has witnessed the trauma experienced by victims of farm attacks. His route will take him through every province before ending at the Union Buildings, where he hopes to meet Cyril Ramaphosa in person.
The activist explained he has spent the past decade advocating for farming communities and interviewing survivors of farm attacks to understand their experiences.
“I am the first activist here in South Africa to go around interviewing surviving victims, farmers and farm workers,” said Sitho. “We have seen that there are killings here in South Africa, and this awareness campaign is to ensure the government sees the importance of farmers because they produce food for all of us.
“Farmers produce the food that feeds this country. If they are not protected, we are putting South Africa’s food security at risk.”
“We don't want to hand over a memorandum; we want to sit down with the president and tell him about the killings happening in South Africa and the importance of protecting our farmers and farm workers.”
The government should strengthen rural safety measures, including reconsidering the return of disbanded security commandos, he said.
Along the journey, Sitho and his small group rely entirely on the goodwill of communities they pass through. He appealed for practical assistance rather than financial donations.
“We don’t need money. What we need is accommodation, food, refreshments and even walking shoes.
“Sometimes we walk without breakfast or any food, but we keep going because we believe someone will open their heart to help us.”
The journey has no predetermined end date, as the pace depends on support received along the way, said Sitho.
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