The untruthful claims by US President Donald Trump of a white, Afrikaner genocide in South Africa should be roundly condemned by all sectors of society.

His recent post on Truth Social trumpeted debunked narratives of white Afrikaners being specifically targeted: “killed and slaughtered” with their farms being “illegally confiscated”.

The claims pander to his ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) base in the USA but is also part of a global right-wing agenda which seeks to rally racists around the notion of ‘white victimhood’. It is an agenda that mobilises people based on racial and religious prejudice, anti-immigrant sentiment and a re-emerging fascist identity.

The USA’s withdrawal from the G20 because of this so called ‘genocide’ is yet another attempt to undermine South Africa. This follows earlier efforts to embarrass President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House, the expulsion of Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, the lack of clarity on Mcebisi Jonas’ special envoy status, and asylum being granted to white Afrikaners in the USA.

With a 30 percent tariff imposed on South Africa, the USA appears to be hellbent on forcing the country to capitulate to foreign policy in line with its own objectives.

We should not lose sight though, of the source of the disinformation. The likes of Elon Musk, Afriforum and Solidarity have preyed on people’s fears and prejudices. They have leveraged debates on land redistribution, black economic empowerment and crime to lobby a global superpower in favour of an ethno-nationalist agenda in South Africa.  

We must begin to question the motives of organisations, who claim to have the interests of Afrikaner farmers at heart, but whose actions have resulted in tariffs that directly impact the farming sector here. Are these organisations actually about protecting the interests of South Africa or even particular segments of South African society, or are they really about destabilising our economy and government? Just like the Guptas who had paid Bell Pottinger to exploit issues of race in South Africa, have they not propagated racialised narratives to undermine the country?   

We support the consistent attempts by the South African government to engage the US administration with reason and sober-mindedness, and we commend the FW de Klerk Foundation, as well as a group of over 40 prominent Afrikaners who have publicly rejected the claims of a white genocide. This, however, requires tens of thousands to do likewise.

In a recent meeting held between the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and the new US Embassy Human Rights Officer, Mr Norman Pflanz, we made it clear that their 2024 report assessing the state of human rights in South Africa was incorrect and contributed to the false narratives about the country. They had indicated that this would be corrected in future. It is incumbent on the Embassy to urgently meet its commitments to accurate reporting and to ensure that their key principals are informed about the factual situation of issues in South Africa.

We encourage all South Africans to continue having the necessary debates on race and transformation, land redistribution and crime, but based on factual information and in a manner that tries to find common ground solutions.

South Africans should also use the platforms available to them to counter Trump’s false narratives, and to call to account the organisations and individuals who believe that it is acceptable to use race to divide, destabilise and undermine post-apartheid South Africa.  

This is an opportunity to build genuine national unity around the core values of our Constitution; we should not squander this by giving more airtime to those who thrive off division and hatred.

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Issued by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation  

For media inquiries, please contact:

Anele Gcwabe

Communications Manager

Ahmed Kathrada Foundation

083-278-8832

anele@kathradafoundation.org