Trump makes false claim of ‘white genocide’ during meeting with South Africa’s Ramaphosa 

WASHINGTON — A meeting between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and former President Donald Trump turned tense Wednesday after Trump repeated widely debunked claims that white South African farmers are being targeted in a “genocide.”

Ramaphosa, hoping to strengthen diplomatic ties and secure key trade agreements, was caught off guard when Trump darkened the Oval Office and played videos — including one of controversial opposition politician Julius Malema singing “Kill the Boer,” an anti-apartheid struggle song. Trump claimed it was proof of racial persecution.

Ramaphosa explained the song does not reflect government policy and that Malema’s party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, holds little political influence. “They are a small minority party,” he told Trump.

Trump then showed what he claimed was footage of a burial site for murdered white farmers. “Have they told you where this is? I’d like to know,” Ramaphosa responded. South African media later reported the video likely depicts a memorial site outside the country, possibly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and has circulated online for years.

Despite attempts by Ramaphosa’s white agriculture minister and billionaire businessman Johann Rupert to correct the record, Trump persisted, flipping through printed articles and repeating “death, death.”

Crime in South Africa remains high, but police do not report murders by race, and most victims are Black. Only 12 farm-related murders were recorded in late 2024 — a number that includes both farmers and workers, many of whom were Black.

Trump has long promoted the unfounded narrative of racial land seizures in South Africa. In reality, no white-owned land has been confiscated under the new land reform laws. Whites, who make up about 7% of the population, still control roughly 70% of commercial farmland.

The meeting comes amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and South Africa, as the Biden administration continues Trump-era cuts to aid and criticizes Pretoria’s legal challenge against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Though the discussion was meant to foster cooperation, Ramaphosa’s efforts to counter misinformation were largely overshadowed by Trump’s repeated, false assertions.

GAROWE ONLINE