Tensions ran high during South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to the White House on Wednesday, when Donald Trump launched accusations of a supposed "ethnic cleansing" campaign against white farmers in South Africa.
Trump welcomed his South African counterpart with an agenda centered on trade and technological cooperation. However, the meeting unfolded against a backdrop of deteriorating diplomatic relations between the two countries in recent months.
The encounter will be remembered less for diplomacy and more for Trump's accusations that the South African government is seizing land from white farmers, enacting discriminatory policies against descendants of Europeans, and pursuing an anti-American foreign policy.
The meeting began cordially, with Trump describing Ramaphosa as "a man truly respected in many circles," though he added, “in some others, he’s considered somewhat controversial.” Ramaphosa, for his part, emphasized that his visit aimed to "restore relations with the United States."\
Back in February, Trump had cut all funding to South Africa by executive order, accusing Ramaphosa's government of targeting white citizens and supporting U.S. adversaries such as Iran and the Palestinian group Hamas.
A Tense Exchange
During their joint appearance in the Oval Office, Trump steered the discussion toward the situation of white farmers in South Africa. After dimming the lights in the room, he played a video featuring South African opposition leader Julius Malema singing a controversial song that includes the phrase “shoot the Boer,” referring to the white Afrikaner community.
“That’s a horrible sight, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Trump said as the footage played, asserting that “they are killing these people” and repeating the word “genocide.” He also showed press clippings of murdered white South Africans.
Visibly uncomfortable, President Ramaphosa defended his country's democratic institutions, pointing out that “crime in South Africa affects both whites and blacks.”
He also clarified that Malema and his party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, are not part of the government and do not represent official policy.
When Trump asked whether he knew where the video had been filmed, Ramaphosa replied, “No. I’d like to know, because I’ve never seen it.”
Trump answered, “It’s in South Africa.”
The U.S. president also presented various news reports about murders of white South Africans, claiming they face “horrific deaths.” He asserted, “People are fleeing South Africa for their own safety,” adding that “their land is being seized and in many cases they’re being killed.”
“When they take the land, they kill the white farmer,” he said.
Ramaphosa acknowledged that white farmers had been killed, but emphasized that police data show such cases account for only a small portion of overall crime rates. South African authorities have stated that many victims in these incidents were current or former farm workers, mostly black.
Regarding land expropriation, the 2024 Expropriation Law allows the government to seize land without compensation for public or national interest purposes.
"Trump Sets a Trap for Ramaphosa"
By Bernd Debusmann Jr., BBC White House Correspondent
Since Trump’s return to office on March 20, several foreign leaders have visited the White House. However, this is the first time we’ve seen such an ambush against a visiting head of state.
The video appeared to be carefully prepared in advance, with Trump ready to reference the screens (which are not typically present in the Oval Office) as soon as the subject of “genocide” against white farmers came up again.
At one point, Trump even narrated the video live, explaining to those present what was being said.
The atmosphere in the room shifted notably. Trump appeared angry as he reviewed stacks of articles about violence in South Africa. The South African delegation seemed unsure of how to respond.
This ambush contrasts with February’s tense but spontaneous confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This time, Trump came fully prepared, armed with materials he believed would support his claims.
The Afrikaner Refugees
The meeting came just days after the arrival in the U.S. of the first group of 59 Afrikaners (white South Africans), admitted as refugees under a new resettlement program initiated by Trump.
The program, backed by the February executive order, is based on alleged “human rights violations” against white South Africans, including land seizures and violent attacks in rural areas.
More than 70,000 white South Africans have expressed interest in emigrating since Trump opened this pathway, according to the South African Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta. U.S. authorities welcomed the asylum applicants in Washington D.C. on May 12.
Afrikaners — descendants of Dutch, French Huguenot, and German settlers who began arriving in southern Africa in 1652 — have played a central role in the country’s history, from colonization to the apartheid regime.
For centuries, they dominated South Africa’s politics and agriculture, particularly during apartheid (1948–1994), when they formed the majority of the white population and ideological core of the regime.
Today, Afrikaners make up just over 5% of South Africa’s population — about 2.7 million people — and most speak Afrikaans as their mother tongue.
Trump defended his refugee program by arguing that Afrikaners suffer “racial discrimination” under policies led by the African National Congress (ANC), in power since apartheid ended in 1994.
In his February executive order, Trump specifically cited South Africa’s recent law allowing expropriation of unproductive, abandoned, or fraudulently acquired land without compensation — a law critics see as targeting white landowners.
Though the law is defended as a tool to address historical injustices, U.S. conservative sectors — including influential businessmen like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel — and many Afrikaners in South Africa view it as a direct threat to white property rights. South African-born Elon Musk was present at the White House during the meeting.
Trump’s claim of a “large-scale killing of white farmers” also has support from Musk, Thiel, and other members of the so-called "PayPal Mafia," an influential Silicon Valley group with ties to South Africa.
The South African government has denied any racial persecution, dismissed Washington's accusations as baseless, and reiterated that police reports do not support the existence of a white genocide.
According to official data, 44 murders occurred in farming areas in 2024, of which eight victims were farm owners.
The South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) concluded that these attacks affect both black and white workers and are often driven by theft or labor disputes.
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