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During a White House meeting, former President Donald Trump engaged in a tense exchange with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, making several disputed claims regarding the alleged killings of white farmers in South Africa. This article examines the accuracy of the claims made, focusing on the purported violence against white farmers and the use of specific evidence presented during the encounter.
Trump’s Claims About White Farmers in South Africa
The meeting, which initially had a cordial atmosphere, shifted abruptly when Trump requested his staff to play a video featuring South African opposition figure Julius Malema leading a chant that seemingly incites violence against white farmers. The video also contained footage of rows of crosses, which Trump asserted were burial sites for murdered white farmers. He also presented President Ramaphosa with copies of articles allegedly documenting extensive brutality against South Africa’s white minority population.
It’s worth noting that supporters of the Trump administration, including prominent figures such as Elon Musk and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have consistently amplified claims of violence targeting the white minority in South Africa. Some of these claims have been proven demonstrably false.
Examining the Claims: Fact-checking the Evidence
Were the Rows of Crosses Burial Sites?
Trump stated the video displayed burial sites of over a thousand white farmers. However, this is inaccurate. The video actually depicts a protest following the murder of Glen and Vida Rafferty, a white farming couple killed in 2020. The footage was uploaded to YouTube on September 6, following the protest.
Rob Hoatson, an organizer of the event, clarified that the crosses formed a “temporary memorial” and were not marking graves.
BBC Verify verified the location of the footage to KwaZulu-Natal province, near Newcastle. Google Street View images from May 2023 show the crosses had been removed.
Is There a “White Genocide” Occurring?
Trump has claimed a “genocide” is taking place against white farmers in South Africa, citing persecution as a basis for potential asylum in the U.S.
However, although South Africa faces a staggering murder rate, statistics do not support the claim of a genocide targeting white farmers:
- In the previous year, there were 26,232 murders, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS).
- Of these, 44 were killings within the farming community, with only eight being farmers themselves.
These figures, while not broken down by race in official releases, do not reflect a “white genocide.” Furthermore, a South African judge in February dismissed the concept of a genocide as “clearly imagined” and “not real.”
Data collected by the Transvaal Agricultural Union (TAU), suggests a more nuanced picture regarding the race of victims in farm attacks. Their findings indicated:
- Last year, 23 white individuals and nine black individuals were killed in farm attacks.
- This year, the TAU has recorded three white individuals and four black individuals killed on South African farms.
Did South African Officials Advocate Violence?
Trump presented footage of rallies where participants sang “Kill the Boer”, a controversial anti-apartheid song. Critics contend that the song promotes violence targeting white farmers.
South African courts have initially classified the song as hate speech. However, more recent rulings permit it at rallies, deeming it a political expression rather than a direct incitement to violence. Trump characterized the individuals leading the singing as “officials”.
Julius Malema, a prominent figure in the footage, previously led the ANC’s youth wing. However, he has never held an official government position. He now leads the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), an opposition party.
- Ramaphosa responded that the EFF is “a small minority party” and that government policy is “completely against what he was saying.”
- Another participant in the video was former President Jacob Zuma, who left office in 2018
Zuma subsequently left the ANC and now leads the opposition uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.
Misrepresented Evidence: Incorrect Images Used
The Documents Presented by Trump
Trump presented articles during the meeting, claiming they contained evidence of white farmer killings in South Africa. One image showed what he described as “burial sites all over the place” of “white farmers that are being buried.”
The Source of the Image
However, the image was not from South Africa. It was traced back to a report concerning women killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The AFP news agency identified it, and BBC Verify confirmed it was from a Reuters news clip from Goma, DR Congo, filmed in February.