News24 Insists Farm Attacks Are Overblown – But Their Own Reporting Says Otherwise
Once again, News24 has been caught peddling misinformation in their ongoing effort to gaslight the South African public. Their latest attempt to downplay farm attacks comes in the form of an article titled “Viral photo of ‘farm attacker’ is from 2015, and signal jamming equipment doesn’t cost R350 000”.
This so-called “debunking” article, conveniently hidden behind a paywall, attempts to dismiss a widely circulated CCTV image showing two men—one carrying military-grade signal jamming equipment—during what appears to be a farm attack. News24 admits the image is real, yet attempts to dismiss its significance by arguing over minor details, such as the date it was taken (2015 vs. 2025) and the price of the jammer (R60,000 vs. R350,000).
A Pattern of Deflection
Rather than addressing the core issue—that farm attacks in South Africa are increasingly sophisticated and well-organized—News24 focuses on semantics, attempting to discredit the photo without offering any meaningful counter-evidence. This is the same outlet that, in 2016, published an article admitting that “farm attacks have become more sophisticated, resembling military-style raids.” Yet now, in 2025, they contradict themselves by downplaying the existence of such operations.
Renaldo Gouws, a well-known commentator, exposed their flawed argument:
“So just so that we understand your article correctly, everything in this photo is real, but your issue is that it happened in 2015, not 2025, and the jammer cost R60,000, not the claimed R350,000? So the only thing you have done is confirm that this has been happening since 2015.”
Watch his video below or on YouTube
Censorship and Damage Control
Critics have pointed out that News24 has been actively censoring comments that challenge their narrative. One user, “Baba Yaga,” noted that News24 edited their post after backlash:
“They edited the post because the headline was crap and they were getting drilled.”
Another comment highlighted the obvious bias:
“News24 is definitely being paid by the ANC. 100% convinced. You guys are doing lots of damage control for the regime.”
Signal Jamming: A Proven Reality
Despite News24’s attempt to dismiss the legitimacy of signal jammers in farm attacks, multiple sources confirm their usage. A police case docket—Sannieshof CAS 49/12/2015—exists for the very incident News24 is trying to discredit. Moreover, “Baba Yaga” confirmed that similar jamming devices are widely used in South Africa:
“I recently shut down sales of these things on Bobshop. They are being used everywhere in SA. The one in the image you are reporting on is military-grade. You can’t get your hands on it as a civilian.”
DEBUNKED | A photograph currently circulating widely online claims to provide evidence that farm murders are highly organised and possibly even government-orchestrated.
While elements of the photo are real, it has been doctored to support a specific narrative relating to farm… pic.twitter.com/Pq3HFpct4P
— News24 🇿🇦 (@News24) March 19, 2025
Even News24’s own historical reporting contradicts their latest “fact-check.” Their 2016 article admitted that farm attacks have become more professional, yet their 2025 piece seeks to gaslight the public into believing that the use of high-tech equipment is somehow implausible.
Conclusion
News24’s latest attempt at “debunking” is nothing more than a desperate effort to protect a failing narrative. Rather than addressing the real issue—the increasing sophistication of farm attacks—they resort to nitpicking minor details while ignoring the bigger picture. The facts remain: farm attacks are a well-coordinated, ongoing crisis in South Africa, and mainstream media outlets like News24 are actively working to obscure the truth.
When a news outlet spends more time discrediting those raising concerns than investigating the concerns themselves, one has to ask: Whose interests are they really serving?
