Russia lures white SA farmers with promise of land, safety

EDINBURGH — Russia was once considered among South Africans to be an evil nation because of its Communist characteristics. Russia has also supported the ANC, and has links to the costly nuclear build programme that was pushed by former president Jacob Zuma and cronies. But, South African white farmers are now looking as far afield as Russia for new homes. That's according to The Washington Post, which sketches the concerns of the country's white farmers for its readers. These range from land expropriation talk to the country's high crime rate, which has hit farming communities hard as they are particularly vulnerable in rural areas. – Jackie Cameron

By Thulasizwe Sithole

White South African farmers are being lured to Russia, which is promising them land, safety and an environment in which they can live Christian lives. That's according to The Washington Post, which has investigated the emigration of South African farmers to rural Russia.

Journalist Amie Ferris-Rotman, in Kosyakovo, interviewed 72-year-old Leon du Toit, who told how his new dairy farm smelt "just like home".

"That's just what one Russian political figure hopes to hear. He is leading something of a charm offensive in South Africa with a very particular goal: hoping to lure white South Africans to move 8,000 miles away to rural Russia," says the journalist.

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