Tensions between black and white South Africans are on the rise following the nation's plan to redistribute land once stolen by white people to the black majority.

After South Africa's decision to return the land to the country's black residents was announced in February, white farmers claim they are being singled out and harassed because of their race, reports Newsweek.

Groups of white farmers say they're being harassed and are turning to firearm training, hand-to-hand combat and the recruitment of former Israeli special forces agents to help them "protect themselves."

Idan Abolnik, a former soldier, has already begun teaching the white farmers self-defense.

"I have been attacked myself, and these attackers were trained very well," Chris Herbst, one of Abolnik’s students, told Sky News. "I got shot in my face – you can see the marks there, eh? And I got stabbed nine times – but I survived it."

The South African government has taken steps to fulfill a campaign promise made nearly 30 years ago to give the black majority land. Since the end of apartheid, black farm workers were not allowed to buy or rent land.

They were shut out and prevented from opportunities to create wealth like their white counterparts. Now, white farmers are fuming because their land will be redistributed possibly without compensation.

Newsweek reports white fear is one of the primary reasons for the various forms of training. A group called AfriForum backs up many of the white farmers' claims stating that racial violence is higher than ever.

However, several statistics show otherwise. Agricultural organization AgriSA revealed that murders of farmers had reached a 20-year low in the country. From 2017 to 2018, 47 farmers were murdered compared to 66 in the previous period.

South Africa farm land

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week