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IOL News
7 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
US State Department's report on farm attacks is 'fake news'
The Presidency said the US State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) report on farm attacks lacks credibility. Image: GCIS THE Presidency has dismissed as disinformation the US State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor's (DRL) report that attacks on farms were not ordinary crimes. The findings lack credibility, says presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya who also accused Donald Trump's administration of ignoring reliable information in order to sustain a disinformation campaign against South Africa. The bureau had undertaken a visit to South Africa as part of the President of the United States, Donald Trump's executive orders to learn more about the rural farm attacks and the breakdown of the rule of law. The bureau said local 'sources' reported 296 farm attacks and 49 murders in 2023, adding that victims were disproportionately elderly, isolated and faced delayed police response. It said the SAPS also reported that the number increased to 44 murders in 2024. 'These are not ordinary crimes. In some documented cases, reports detail victims tortured or killed without anything being stolen,' DRL said. 'Earlier this year, a man was beaten and hacked with a machete. In another incident, an elderly woman was assaulted and repeatedly stabbed. In both cases, no theft occurred. These attacks are not motivated by poverty alone.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The DRL added that in one of the notable incidents in 2023, assailants chanted 'kill the boer, kill the farmer' as they stabbed their victim, adding that these were not fringe slogans as some South African leaders chant the same words to cheering crowds. 'In one case, graffiti praising these leaders was painted on a farmhouse before its owners were brutally attacked. Despite this, as the President of the United States highlighted earlier this year, many South African leaders have failed to condemn this song,' the bureau said, adding that the international community and mainstream media decided to remain silent on this issue. Magwenya said there is no credibility that can be attached to the report. He said the bureau visited Cape Town only, and also ignored credible SAPS statistics in order to sustain a disinformation campaign against South Africa. 'There is nothing constructive or new out of their report. We are fully aware of all challenges relating to crime in our country, including crimes that are committed in rural and farming areas. We are also working on addressing all crimes that affect our citizens,' said Mangwenya. AfriForum welcomed the findings, with its Community Safety spokesperson Jacques Broodryk, saying: 'We are grateful that the United States has confirmed what we have been emphasising for years, namely that farm attacks are not ordinary crimes. 'Farm attacks are brutal, targeted attacks that are often accompanied by torture, murder without anything being stolen and politically charged rhetoric such as 'Kill the Boer'.' However, violence monitor Mary de Haas said the report was not objective, adding that crime affects everyone in South Africa. She said if there was objectivity in the report, the bureau would look at what is happening in rural black communities, where the murder rate is far higher. 'This is a very biased racist agenda to focus on white farmers when most of the victims of brutal crime and torture are black people in South Africa .They are trying to punish South Africa because of the world court case. (The case filed in 2024 against Israel at the International Court of Justice). The genocide is in Gaza, not in South Africa,'' she said. Political analyst Sandile Swana said the US decided to focus on the interests of the white minority while the issue should be resolving the economic struggles of black people. He said the DRL's visit aims to turn South Africa into a colonial State of the US, adding that the report is biased, unscientific and prejudiced to favour Trump and his Make America Great Again campaign. 'This must be seen as a racist measure by the US. The former South African Ambassador to the US Ibrahim Rasool was expelled for correctly identifying the white supremacy tendencies of Trump's presidency,' Swana said. Cape Times
IOL News
04-08-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
SA government dismisses US State Department's report on farm attacks
The Presidency said the US State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) report on farm attacks lacks credibility. Image: Supplied / GCIS The Presidency said the US findings, that farm attacks are not ordinary crimes, lacks credibility and has accused the country of ignoring reliable information in order to sustain a disinformation campaign against South Africa. The US State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) claimed that attacks on farms display a distinctly brutal pattern. The bureau said this was uncovered during its recent visit to the country as part of the President of the United States, Donald Trump's executive orders to learn more about the rural farm attacks and the breakdown of the rule of law. While AfriForum welcomed the findings, Presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said there is no credibility that can be attached to the report. He said the bureau visited Cape Town only, and also ignored credible SAPS statistics in order to sustain a disinformation campaign against South Africa. 'There is nothing constructive or new out of their report. We are fully aware of all challenges relating to crime in our country, including crimes that are committed in rural and farming areas. We are also working on addressing all crimes that affect our citizens,' said Mangwenya. The bureau said local sources reported 296 farm attacks and 49 murders in 2023, adding that victims are disproportionately elderly, isolated and face delayed police response. It said the SAPS also reported that the number increased to 44 murders in 2024. 'These are not ordinary crimes. In some documented cases, reports detail victims tortured or killed without anything being stolen,' DRL said. 'Earlier this year, a man was beaten and hacked with a machete. In another incident, an elderly woman was assaulted and repeatedly stabbed. In both cases, no theft occurred. These attacks are not motivated by poverty alone.' The DRL added that in one of the notable incidents in 2023, assailants chanted 'kill the boer, kill the farmer' as they stabbed their victim, adding that these are not fringe slogans as some South African leaders chant the same words to cheering crowds. 'In one case, graffiti praising these leaders was painted on a farmhouse before its owners were brutally attacked. Despite this, as the President of the United States highlighted earlier this year, many South African leaders have failed to condemn this song,' the bureau said, adding that the international community and mainstream media decided to remain silent on this issue. In response to the report, AfriForum said it was convinced that this is the result of years of consistent advocacy and awareness-raising aimed at exposing the seriousness of farm attacks and murders to the local and international community. 'We are grateful that the United States has confirmed what we have been emphasising for years, namely that farm attacks are not ordinary crimes,' says Jacques Broodryk, AfriForum's Chief Spokesperson for Community Safety. 'Farm attacks are brutal, targeted attacks that are often accompanied by torture, murder without anything being stolen and politically charged rhetoric such as 'Kill the Boer'. The ANC-led government's silence on this issue is shameful. When the government refuses to condemn hate speech and refuses to prioritise the protection of our farmers, they are complicit in this crisis,' Broodryk said. However, violence monitor Mary de Haas said the report was not objective, adding that crime affects everyone in South Africa. She said if there was objectivity in the report, the bureau would look at what is happening in rural black communities, where the murder rate is far higher. 'This is a very biased racist agenda to focus on white farmers when most of the victims of brutal crime and torture are black people in South Africa .They are trying to punish South Africa because of the world court case. (The case filed in 2024 against Israel at the International Court of Justice). The genocide is in Gaza, not in South Africa,'' she said. US President Donald Trump took aim at South Africa earlier this year after he took office for the second term, promoting claims that white farmers were targeted-he stopped all aid to South Africa, accusing it of discriminating against its white minority. The South African government and President Cyril Ramaphosa have labelled notions that there is a genocide against White South Africans as false and said while there was crime in South Africa, the majority of victims were Black. Trump also imposed a 30% tariff wall on South African exports, while other African nations, including Nigeria, Ghana, Lesotho and Zimbabwe have been hit with 15%, which is expected to come into effect in days. Political analyst Sandile Swana said the US decided to focus on the interests of the white minority while the issue should be resolving the economic struggles of black people. He said the DRL's visit aims to turn South Africa into a colonial State of the US, adding that the report is biased, unscientific and prejudice to favour Trump and his Make America Great Again campaign. 'This must be seen as a racist measure by the US. The former South African Ambassador to the US Ibrahim Rasool was expelled for correctly identifying the white supremacy tendencies of Trump's presidency,' Swana said. Meanwhile, the government said 'some actors with South African society' have undermined efforts in resetting the relationship with the US. [email protected]
IOL News
04-08-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
US State Department makes claim of targeted attacks on white farmers in South Africa
The meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office in May. The US State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor (DRL) says attacks on farms display a distinctly brutal pattern. Image: AFP The US has insisted on its claim that white farmers are being targeted in South Africa with the US State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor (DRL) saying the farm attacks in the country are not ordinary crimes. The DRL said it has visited the country recently to learn more about the rural farm attacks and the breakdown of the rule of law. The bureau said the trip to South Africa was in support of the President of the United States' executive orders. US President Donald Trump took aim at South Africa earlier this year after he took office for the second term, promoting claims that white farmers were targeted-he stopped all aid to South Africa, accusing it of discriminating against its white minority. The South African government and President Cyril Ramaphosa have labelled notions that there is a genocide against White South Africans as false and said while there was crime in South Africa, the majority of victims were Black. Trump also imposed a 30% tariff wall on South African exports, while other African nations, including Nigeria, Ghana, Lesotho and Zimbabwe have been hit with 15%, which is expected to come into effect in days. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The bureau said South Africa holds enormous economic and geopolitical promise but the current breakdowns in law and order are not conducive to growth or collaboration with the US. It said the South African government must speak clearly and act decisively to address crime and condemn the violence. The bureau said violent crime is rampant in South Africa, but rural attacks - especially on farms- display a distinctly brutal pattern. 'Local sources reported 296 farm attacks and 49 murders in 2023, and that victims are disproportionately elderly, isolated and face delayed police response. The South African Police Service reports the number increased to 55 murders in 2024,'' said the DRL. The bureau said that these are not ordinary crimes, adding that in some documented cases, reports detail victims tortured or killed without anything being stolen. 'Earlier this year, a man was beaten and hacked with a machete. In another incident, an elderly woman was assaulted and repeatedly stabbed. In both cases, no theft occurred. These attacks are not motivated by poverty alone.''
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Business Standard
03-08-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Pharma Inc gears up for Day 1 launch of obesity drug in March 2026
As the global demand for next-generation diabetes and weight-loss therapies surge, Indian pharmaceutical companies are stepping up preparations to roll out generic versions of semaglutide—a blockbuster GLP-1 receptor agonist—once patent expires around March 2026. The generic launches will be significant, as the prices for the Indian consumer are expected to come down significantly from the current ₹17,000-26000 (monthly), thereby expanding the patient coverage. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (DRL), Cipla, Sun Pharma, and Mankind Pharma, and others are ramping up peptide manufacturing, forming device partnerships, and aligning regulatory strategies to capture a share of the global GLP-1 market, estimated to cross $150 billion by decade's end. Hyderabad-based DRL is planning Day 1 launches in India and Brazil, part of a 2026 global rollout across 87 countries. 'The semaglutide launch is very important to us,' said CEO Erez Israeli. The company aims to price its product below Novo Nordisk's current ₹17,000 monthly offering. DRL is also working on 26 GLP-1 therapies, backed by a ₹2,700 crore FY26 capex plan to scale peptide and biosimilar production. Cipla is targeting first-wave launches through a mix of in-house and partner filings. 'We see GLP-1 as one of the biggest therapy opportunities in the last five years,' said Umang Vohra, MD and global CEO at the post earnings call. The company is building parts of its GLP-1 supply chain internally while leveraging partnerships to ensure scalability. Cipla is also crafting an affordable strategy for India's price-sensitive market, betting that post-patent price erosion will be offset by volume growth. Mankind Pharma aims to launch both oral and injectable semaglutide generics and is advancing MKP10241, a novel oral obesity drug in Phase 2 trials in Australia. Sun Pharma, meanwhile, is progressing its investigational GLP-1 molecule Utreglutide, targeted for launch in four to five years. It has secured Phase III approval for semaglutide trials in India, even as it reports negligible impact of GLP-1 drugs on its existing diabetes portfolio. The race for a piece of India's ₹628 crore anti-obesity market, however, comes at a time when the Indian courts and drug regulator body are looking to monitor the unregulated use of weight loss drugs. According to sources, the Central Drug Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) has initiated work to form a panel after the Delhi High Court in July 2025 asked it to consult experts and relevant stakeholders to look into concerns arising out of approval for drug combinations being sold in the market for weight loss. The directive came in response to a public interest litigation filed by fitness entrepreneur Jitendra Chouksey, who had raised concerns about the marketing approval of drugs such as semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide for weight management, despite limited safety data and the absence of India-specific clinical trials. While disposing of the petition, the court asked the drug regulator to respond to the petitioner within three months. At present, India has two officially available semaglutide brands: Rybelsus (oral) and Wegovy (injectable), both from Danish major Novo Nordisk. Rybelsus is approved for treating Type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy was launched in June 2025 for weight management. US-based Eli Lilly's tirzepatide drug, Mounjaro, is also available in India for obesity management. Analysts say the semaglutide opportunity is also fuelling India's peptide manufacturing ecosystem. 'Formulation is no longer enough—companies need full-stack execution,' said Nirali Shah, Pharma Analyst at Ashika Group, pointing to DRL, Cipla, and Sun Pharma's early moves to secure pen delivery partnerships. Contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs) like Anthem Biosciences and Syngene are positioning themselves to capture a larger share of the growing peptide segment. Device manufacturers, too, are scaling up to meet rising demand for injection pens. India's peptide CDMO market, currently valued at $80 million, is growing at a CAGR of 14 per cent and could become a global supplier base for GLP-1 drugs, said Nilaya Varma, CEO of Primus Partners.
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Business Standard
03-08-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Pharma Inc gear up for Day 1 launch of obesity drug in March 2026
As the global demand for next-generation diabetes and weight-loss therapies surge, Indian pharmaceutical companies are stepping up preparations to roll out generic versions of semaglutide—a blockbuster GLP-1 receptor agonist—once patent expires around March 2026. The generic launches will be significant, as the prices for the Indian consumer are expected to come down significantly from the current ₹17,000-26000 (monthly), thereby expanding the patient coverage. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (DRL), Cipla, Sun Pharma, and Mankind Pharma, and others are ramping up peptide manufacturing, forming device partnerships, and aligning regulatory strategies to capture a share of the global GLP-1 market, estimated to cross $150 billion by decade's end. Hyderabad-based DRL is planning Day 1 launches in India and Brazil, part of a 2026 global rollout across 87 countries. 'The semaglutide launch is very important to us,' said CEO Erez Israeli. The company aims to price its product below Novo Nordisk's current ₹17,000 monthly offering. DRL is also working on 26 GLP-1 therapies, backed by a ₹2,700 crore FY26 capex plan to scale peptide and biosimilar production. Cipla is targeting first-wave launches through a mix of in-house and partner filings. 'We see GLP-1 as one of the biggest therapy opportunities in the last five years,' said Umang Vohra, MD and global CEO at the post earnings call. The company is building parts of its GLP-1 supply chain internally while leveraging partnerships to ensure scalability. Cipla is also crafting an affordable strategy for India's price-sensitive market, betting that post-patent price erosion will be offset by volume growth. Mankind Pharma aims to launch both oral and injectable semaglutide generics and is advancing MKP10241, a novel oral obesity drug in Phase 2 trials in Australia. Sun Pharma, meanwhile, is progressing its investigational GLP-1 molecule Utreglutide, targeted for launch in four to five years. It has secured Phase III approval for semaglutide trials in India, even as it reports negligible impact of GLP-1 drugs on its existing diabetes portfolio. The race for a piece of India's ₹628 crore anti-obesity market, however, comes at a time when the Indian courts and drug regulator body are looking to monitor the unregulated use of weight loss drugs. According to sources, the Central Drug Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) has initiated work to form a panel after the Delhi High Court in July 2025 asked it to consult experts and relevant stakeholders to look into concerns arising out of approval for drug combinations being sold in the market for weight loss. The directive came in response to a public interest litigation filed by fitness entrepreneur Jitendra Chouksey, who had raised concerns about the marketing approval of drugs such as semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide for weight management, despite limited safety data and the absence of India-specific clinical trials. While disposing of the petition, the court asked the drug regulator to respond to the petitioner within three months. At present, India has two officially available semaglutide brands: Rybelsus (oral) and Wegovy (injectable), both from Danish major Novo Nordisk. Rybelsus is approved for treating Type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy was launched in June 2025 for weight management. US-based Eli Lilly's tirzepatide drug, Mounjaro, is also available in India for obesity management. Analysts say the semaglutide opportunity is also fuelling India's peptide manufacturing ecosystem. 'Formulation is no longer enough—companies need full-stack execution,' said Nirali Shah, Pharma Analyst at Ashika Group, pointing to DRL, Cipla, and Sun Pharma's early moves to secure pen delivery partnerships. Contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs) like Anthem Biosciences and Syngene are positioning themselves to capture a larger share of the growing peptide segment. Device manufacturers, too, are scaling up to meet rising demand for injection pens. India's peptide CDMO market, currently valued at $80 million, is growing at a CAGR of 14 per cent and could become a global supplier base for GLP-1 drugs, said Nilaya Varma, CEO of Primus Partners.
