Trump makes false claims of white genocide in South Africa during Ramaphosa meeting

During a tense meeting, US President Donald Trump made several disproven claims about white farmers, land seizures, and anti-white violence in South Africa — which President Ramaphosa and court records firmly refuted

Johannesburg, May 22 (Reuters): A contentious Oval Office meeting between US President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday sparked global headlines after Trump repeated several debunked conspiracy theories about the treatment of South Africa’s white minority—claims firmly rebutted by Ramaphosa and contradicted by official data and court rulings.

Trump, often interrupting Ramaphosa, played a video compilation of out-of-context clips featuring inflammatory rhetoric from South African politicians, which experts say have circulated widely in far-right social media spaces for years. Here are the key falsehoods raised during the meeting — and the facts that contradict them.

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1. Myth: A White Genocide Is Taking Place in South Africa

Trump claimed there is a genocide against white farmers, echoing a long-standing conspiracy theory amplified by fringe groups and public figures like Elon Musk. However, South African crime data tells a different story.

• South Africa had 26,232 murders in 2024, with 44 connected to farm attacks, and only eight of the victims were farmers.
• The Western Cape High Court earlier this year ruled such “white genocide” claims to be “clearly imagined and not real.”

Most murder victims in South Africa are Black, reflective of the country’s overall population.

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2. Myth: White Land Is Being Violently Seized Without Compensation

Trump accused South Africa’s government of expropriating white-owned land through forced seizures. While a new law allows land to be taken in rare circumstances “in the public interest,” no such seizures have occurred.

• 75% of private farmland is still owned by white South Africans, who constitute less than 8% of the population.
• The government has focused on voluntary sales, and no forced expropriations have taken place so far.

President Ramaphosa has emphasized that land reform is about equity and reconciliation, not revenge.

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3. Myth: “Kill the Boer” Is a Literal Call to Violence

Trump referenced a clip of EFF leader Julius Malema singing “Kill the Boer,” asserting it incited violence. However, South African courts have ruled multiple times that the chant is a liberation-era protest song, not hate speech.

The EFF clarified that the song symbolizes resistance to white minority domination, not physical harm to individuals.

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4. Myth: Crosses in Protest Video Are Grave Markers

A video shown by Trump depicted hundreds of white crosses by a roadside, which he claimed were grave markers for slain farmers.

• In reality, the September 2020 protest was symbolic.
• Organizers told SABC the crosses were not real graves but a representation of perceived government inaction.

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5. Myth: EFF Organized Land Seizures

Another Trump-shown clip featured Malema claiming people would occupy land without permission. While illegal land occupations have happened in South Africa, most are tied to urban poverty and homelessness, not EFF campaigns.

• The occupied land is typically unused, and there’s no evidence of coordinated efforts by EFF to incite such invasions.

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Context and Fallout

President Ramaphosa attempted to correct Trump multiple times, but was often cut off. In post-meeting statements, Ramaphosa’s office reiterated the importance of diplomatic truth and warned against “amplifying unverified narratives that can inflame racial tensions.”

Meanwhile, critics accused Trump of using racially charged rhetoric to appeal to far-right segments of his base ahead of the US election cycle.

South African officials and independent watchdogs have emphasized that land reform, crime, and inequality are deeply complex, and simplistic, racially polarized interpretations only deepen division and spread misinformation.

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