South African Correspondent
A high-stakes meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa devolved into a contentious exchange on Wednesday, with Trump doubling down on debunked claims of a “white genocide” and demanding action against the alleged persecution of Afrikaner farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Oval Office meeting, intended to mend strained U.S.-South Africa relations, took a sharp turn when Trump played a video featuring opposition leader Julius Malema\u2019s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party chanting \u201cShoot the Boer [farmer]\u201d and displayed images of roadside crosses purportedly marking graves of murdered white farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The crosses, however, were part of a 2020 protest exhibit symbolizing historical farm killings, not actual burial sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf there was a genocide, these three gentlemen would not be here,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ramaphosa countered, gesturing to white South African delegates in the room, including golf legends Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. He emphasized that Malema\u2019s rhetoric does not reflect government policy and condemned criminal violence affecting all races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump interrupted, alleging,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou do allow them to take land, and then when they take the land, they kill the white farmer, and nothing happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ramaphosa firmly denied the claim, clarifying that no land seizures have occurred under South Africa\u2019s contentious expropriation law, which permits state land acquisition without compensation in limited cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Disputed Claims and Diplomatic Tensions<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump\u2019s focus on farm attacks echoed right-wing narratives of \u201cwhite genocide,\u201d which a South African court dismissed earlier this year as \u201cclearly imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Official crime data reveals that of nearly 10,000 murders recorded between October and December 2024, only 12 occurred in farm attacks, with most victims being Black employees or dwellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meeting followed the U.S. granting asylum to 59 white South Africans, whom Ramaphosa previously labeled \u201ccowards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tensions have simmered since South Africa\u2019s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ and its land reform law, which Trump criticized as harmful to bilateral ties. In February, he suspended aid to South Africa and offered refuge to Afrikaners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reactions: “A Trap Set to Humiliate”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EFF leader Julius Malema mocked the encounter on social media, calling it \u201ca group of older men gossiping about me,\u201d and vowed no compromise on land reform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Patrick Gaspard, former U.S. ambassador to South Africa, condemned the meeting as \u201ctruly embarrassing,\u201d accusing Trump of orchestrating a \u201ctrap to humiliate\u201d Ramaphosa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kallie Kriel, CEO of Afrikaner advocacy group AfriForum, acknowledged using similar protest footage but denied creating Trump\u2019s video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are real issues to address,\u201d he said, urging an end to \u201cdenialism\u201d about farm violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Broader Stakes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ramaphosa had aimed to lobby against steep U.S. tariffs set to resume in July, critical for South Africa\u2019s exports. Instead, the dialogue was overshadowed by Trump\u2019s confrontational stance. The South African leader invoked Nelson Mandela\u2019s legacy of reconciliation, stressing,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are committed to unity, not division.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the leaders sparred, Ramaphosa avoided direct confrontation, unlike Ukraine\u2019s Zelensky during a February clash with Trump. Yet the fallout underscores deepening fractures between the nations, compounded by March\u2019s expulsion of South Africa\u2019s U.S. ambassador over accusations of Trump \u201cpromoting white victimhood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meeting concluded without tangible agreements, leaving unresolved trade disputes and heightened diplomatic rancor in its wake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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