WASHINGTON — A diplomatic visit meant to mend strained ties between the United States and South Africa took a jarring turn on Wednesday when President Donald Trump confronted President Cyril Ramaphosa with disputed claims of “white genocide” in South Africa.
The exchange, which played out live at a White House press conference, left Ramaphosa visibly caught off guard. The South African leader had arrived in Washington hoping to ease tensions, especially around trade and a recent U.S. decision to grant asylum to nearly 60 Afrikaners.
Instead, Trump interrupted the proceedings with a video montage showing white crosses lined along a roadside, accompanied by the controversial chant “Shoot the Boer, Shoot the farmer” by South African opposition politician Julius Malema. The implication was clear: white South African farmers were being hunted a claim that has been repeatedly dismissed by human rights groups and South African courts.
“Why are they being killed?” Trump asked, handing Ramaphosa a sheaf of articles about alleged attacks.
Ramaphosa, keeping his composure, pushed back. “That is not government policy,” he said. “We are a democracy. People may speak freely, but that does not mean we endorse what they say.”
The South African president pointed to the racial diversity of his delegation including golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and billionaire Johann Rupert as proof that South Africa remains a multi-racial society. “If there was a genocide, these three gentlemen would not be here,” he said.
Trump pressed further: “But you do allow them to take land, and then when they take the land, they kill the white farmer.”
“No,” Ramaphosa replied, flatly.
Earlier this year, Ramaphosa signed a controversial law allowing the state to seize land without compensation under specific conditions. Though politically charged, the law has yet to be enforced. Critics in Washington particularly in Trump’s administration have seized on it as evidence of anti-white discrimination.
In South Africa, the government argues that the legislation aims to undo centuries of colonial land dispossession and address inequality, not to punish any racial group. Most farm-related murders in South Africa do not involve white farmers, and the majority of murder victims nationally are Black South Africans. The country does not publish crime statistics by race.
Between October and December 2024, 11 farm-related deaths were recorded. Only one was a farmer. The others were farm workers and dwellers most likely Black, according to analysts familiar with South African rural demographics.
Still, Trump was unmoved. “The farmers are not Black,” he said, staring down Ramaphosa. “I’m not saying that’s good or bad. Just saying they’re not.”
The video Trump presented was not newly produced. It included footage from a 2020 protest in KwaZulu-Natal, where demonstrators planted crosses to symbolise white farmers killed in the past. At the time, organisers confirmed the crosses were symbolic, not real graves.
South Africa’s courts have rejected the narrative of “white genocide.” In a February ruling, one judge called such claims “clearly imagined,” striking down an inheritance request tied to donations made to a white supremacist group.
The meeting was expected to focus on trade. From July, South African exports to the U.S. could face tariffs of up to 30% unless new exemptions are negotiated. Ramaphosa’s strategy appeared to involve charm — he came bearing gifts, including a coffee-table book of South African golf courses.
That strategy unravelled the moment Trump dimmed the lights for the video.
Observers say the meeting was designed to embarrass Ramaphosa. Patrick Gaspard, former U.S. ambassador to South Africa, called it “truly shameful.”
“There was every intention to humiliate him, to project white victimhood and inflame tensions,” Gaspard said.
Back home, Malema dismissed the drama. “A group of old men in Washington gossiping about me,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter. He insisted land reform would go ahead: “We will not compromise our principles for political convenience.”
Trump’s recent overtures to the Afrikaner community have been aggressive. Since January, the White House has moved to fast-track refugee applications for white South Africans. In February, Trump suspended aid to South Africa, citing the country’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled in March after accusing Trump of “weaponising white victimhood.”
The narrative of endangered white farmers has long circulated in far-right circles abroad. Groups like Afriforum an Afrikaner advocacy organisation have campaigned on the issue internationally. Kallie Kriel, its CEO, told the BBC Wednesday night that while they hadn’t produced the White House video, “some of that footage has been used in our materials.”
“There are real issues,” Kriel said. “This video just made the point strongly.”
The incident is likely to deepen a diplomatic rift already complicated by trade, race politics, and global power plays. But Ramaphosa invoking Nelson Mandela and calling for continued reconciliation tried to steer the conversation back to unity.
When asked what might happen if all white farmers left South Africa, Ramaphosa deferred to his agriculture minister a white South African himself.
“They’re not going anywhere,” said Minister John Steenhuisen. “They are part of this country.”
For now, though, Wednesday’s meeting may mark a low point in US-South Africa relations. A handshake that began with smiles ended with unresolved questions and a spotlight on a narrative few in South Africa recognize as their reality.
