U.S. President Donald Trump reignited controversy by repeating debunked claims about South Africa’s white minority during a tense Oval Office meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa. Trump aired a video showing outdated clips and made several false statements about land seizures and alleged genocide of white farmers, fueling global far-right narratives.
One of Trump’s main claims was that white farmers are being systematically killed in a “genocide.” However, South African police recorded 44 farm-related murders out of 26,232 total in 2024, with just eight of the victims being farmers. Most murder victims in South Africa are Black, reflecting the country’s broader violent crime issues, not targeted ethnic attacks. A South African high court earlier this year ruled such genocide claims as “imagined and not real.”
Trump also claimed that the government is violently expropriating land from white farmers without compensation. In reality, South Africa has yet to enforce any land seizure. While a 2024 law allows for expropriation without compensation in rare cases, the government must first attempt voluntary sales. Whites still own about 75% of private farmland despite being less than 8% of the population.
Another falsehood involved the “Kill the Boer” song, which Trump said incites violence. Courts in South Africa have ruled it is a liberation-era chant, not hate speech. The opposition EFF party defended it as symbolic of resistance to white minority control.
Trump also misrepresented a protest scene showing white crosses as actual graves. These were symbolic markers placed during a 2020 demonstration to honor victims of farm attacks.
The meeting highlights how misinformation on South Africa’s land reform and racial tensions continues to influence global political narratives, especially among far-right groups and Trump allies like Elon Musk.