Issue #242: Answering Trump's Lies about South Africa

No there is no "white genocide" in the nation

On Wednesday, May 21st, Donald Trump hosted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House. Like Trump’s meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy several months back, the who episode turned into a sideshow. Trump used the meeting to go after South Africa, much as he did with Ukraine before.

The meeting came amid Trump pushing the lie of a so-called “white genocide” happening in South Africa. The claim is that white South Africans, who make up less than 10% of the population, are being murdered in massive numbers in the nation. The claim is specifically about white farmer deaths in the rural communities. Latching onto far-right conspiracies that have been pushed for years now, Trump has recently announced that 50+ white South Africans were being granted refugee status in America. The administration has also frozen aid to the nation, something Ramaphosa was hoping to reverse.

Ramaphosa went into his meeting with Trump knowing that he needed to push back on the false claims while also trying to not anger the President. South Africa’s economic future relies on international investment, and the US has been a longtime partner with the country. Unfortunately and predictably Trump has completely bought into the white genocide myth.

The Genocide Lie and a Deranged Meeting

It must be stressed that claims of widespread violence and/or murder are entirely false. The myth of a genocide stems from white fears about redistribution of land in South Africa, something I will touch on more in a few moments. The specific claim is that white farmers in the rural countryside are being killed and their land seized; something that did occur in other African nations when tyrants like Idi Amin and or Robert Mugabe came to power. Several Africa nations saw the transfer of power from colonials rulers to local dictators. This, however, has not been the case in South Africa.

While crime is an issue in the country, there is no evidence of mass killings of white citizens. Crime Data from the country, which matches with widespread reports, show that only a handful of individuals involved in farming were killed recently, less than 1% of murders in South Africa. Many attacks, which have occurred with farm owners or farm workers (most workers are Black) have been linked to robbery more than land seizure or racial revenge.

A notable stat from this BBC article….

The Transvaal Agricultural Union (TAU), which represents farmers, compiles figures which offer an insight into the racial identity of the victims. The TAU relies on media reports, social media posts and reports from their members. Their figures for last year show there were 23 white people killed in farm attacks, and nine black people. So far this year TAU has recorded three white people and four black people killed on South African farms.

Violence is an issue in South Africa, something I will get into more in a moment. However, there is no “genocide” going on. Nevertheless, it has become a core far-right claim, especially OUTSIDE of South Africa. Notably, most of the biggest pushers of this are the same folks who insist apartheid ending has been a disaster for South Africa. You will not be shocked to know Elon Musk, who’s family money is built on Apartheid, pushes the genocide lie.

Ramaphosa may have hoped for a productive meeting and a chance to clear the air. However, Trump spent the meeting constantly arguing about the issue of a “white genocide” in the country - using “evidence” that was not real. Even as Ramaphosa tried to push back, Trump blew him off. At one point, Trump posted this photo, which he claimed showed the crosses marking thousands of graves in the countryside.

These are burial sites right here. Burial sites. Over a thousand of white farmers."

This photo is actually from a memorial procession for two white farmers who were killed back in 2020. The organizer, a white South African, confirmed the crosses did not equal graves, but were simply memorials for the two murdered individuals. This makes sense, because genocides tend not to produce nicely organized and spacious grave sites - they tend to me mass graves. Trump also showed a photo of a white woman killed - but that photo was actually from the Congo.

Trump claimed that land was being taken under a new law that was passed and that murders were happening. A complete lie - and best summarized by CNN here

Trump claimed to Ramaphosa: “You do allow them to take land. And then when they take the land, they kill the White farmer.” Trump was spinning fiction once more. No land had been seized under the new expropriation law as of mid-May, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, and Trump provided no evidence for his blanket assertion that White farmers are murdered after their land is taken.

Trump then played a video of Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters Party; and a true Black nationalist. Malema has constantly called for violence, notably signing an old apartheid-era song called “Kill the Boer,” which is a call for violence against white farmers. Ramaphosa pointed out that Malema and his ideology are not welcomed in the government of South Africa, nor are they a major political force. Far-right accounts online pushed a lie that the EFF was the 2nd largest party, or pushed a lie that they were part of the current governing coalition.

With all of the accusations going around, I knew I had to offer some clarity to this. I’ve written about South Africa politics three times already. These articles delve much more into the nation’s history and political dynamics than I will be able to here. However, I will pull some direct lines from these articles, which will be italicized. That said, if you are truly curious about more details on South Africa, I highlight recommend checking these out.

• Issue 7: Looking at the economic issues in South Africa

• Issue 182: A preview of the 2024 election and the ANC’s falling support

• Issue 228: Looking at the 2024 Election Results

All three of these issues cover Apartheid rule and the economic harm it did. South Africa today is still very much dealing with the legacy and damage Apartheid caused.

The Damage of Apartheid

The issue at the heart of South Africa is the legacy of the apartheid system the nation was ruled under. Until 1994, South Africa was ruled by the white population, which made up only 20% of people at the time. The vast majority of Black residents were barred from civil service and economic advancement. The system finally came to an end in 1994 and saw the rise of Nelson Mandela and the ANC. A good overview of the Apartheid system can be seen here.

The end of apartheid came from political negation and international pressure. By the 1990s, reform-minded white leaders saw that continued rule was not sustainable. President F. W. de Klerk would be the key white leader in the move to fair elections, engaging with Mandela on the move toward democracy.

In the end, an agreement was reached for elections to be held in 1994 and with the pledge of a unity government for the first five years afterward. Everyone knew the ANC would easily win the election; the goal was to ensure a smooth transfer of power. Additional pledges that longtime civil servants would not be summarily dismissed calmed white fears and hurt far-right recruiting efforts. This also prevented from South Africa having a brain drain as folks with experience flee and no one with the same experience can replace them immediately.

Mandela and his party, the African National Congress (ANC), would win the 1994 election; with Mandela and de Klerk forming a unity coalition for the next several years. For some excellent details on the push for democracy in South Africa, check out the Miracle Rising documentary, which is available on youtube.

The move to democracy was a massive success. However, the legacy of apartheid remains a big issue for South Africa. The economic and social factors of that decades-long colonial system have left the nation with a continued racial disparity in wealth and land.

While legal apartheid is gone, its legacy remains. The economic inequality that was pushed by the white ruling minority pre-1994 still persists today; namely in the way of land allocation. Thanks to the apartheid system, over 70% of the farming land is still owned by the white population.

An important note here: When Mandela came to power in 1994, he promised to redistribute 30% of the land to the black majority. However, to this day only 10% has been reallocated. So when we talk about land redistribution, we are not talking a new concept, we are talking about something Mandela campaigned on back in 1994.

Many of the current white landowners regard the property as there’s and claim punishing them for the sins of the ancestors isn’t fair. However, the imbalance of land/people is unsustainable long term; and only grows resentment.

That resentment is easy to imagine when we look at the statistics. Generations-long economic control has resulted in too little economic mobility among the Black majority. As a result, the legalized poverty of apartheid has become informal. These major data points really stand out

• 20% of Black residents don’t have access to proper housing - instead forced to resident in shack cities that often reside outside major cities.

  • This is also true for 7% of Coloured

  • This is a basic non-issue with White and Asian residents, with less than 1% having a similar problem

• 12% of Black residents don’t have access to electricity vs 1% among Whites

• The Grade School system retains racial disparities. Schools in poor black areas have far weaker amenities than schools in the predominantly white areas, which are also higher income. Conditions in rural Black schools often fall well below even standards.

  • As a result of these early education access issues, only 10% of the Black or Coloured population make it to college. It’s around 40% for White and 30% for Asian.

• In 2024, with 33% of the nation unemployed, that was 40% for Black residents and under 8% for White.

• Black residents make up 80% of the employment force but just 17% of management jobs.

These economic indicators are a problem for South Africa. You can see more on the issue in the videos below.

The current economic dynamic is unsustainable. Most experts agree land redistribution in some capacity must be done. How that would be compensated, and what type of land to focus on, remains the central debate point. It cannot be stressed enough that as leaders talk about this issue, no serious person advocates just kicking white people out of their houses. Much of this is about large land plots that have absentee landlords.

ANC Struggles

These longstanding economic issues have hurt the ruling ANC; who have ruled South Africa since 1944 but have been seeing their vote share drop as time goes on. Corruption has been an issue for the ANC, as has an ideological divide within the party. The current leader of the party, Cyril Ramaphosa, hails from the moderate faction of the party. The last ANC leader was Jacob Zuma, who represented the more left-wing end. While different ideologies divide them, both have also seen a major personality clash, something that did further damage to the ANC.

Heading into the 2024 election many expected them to fall below 50% in the national elections.

I discuss the stances of the other major parties much more so in my previous issues. I’ll do a short review here though on key parties.

The DA Party, Democracy Action, is the 2nd largest party and largely the group for white voters and some middle class black voters. They have campaigned against the corruption of the ANC and have had white and black leaders. The IFP is the Inkatha Freedom Party; a regional party that represents the Zulu tribe concentrated in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The EFF is the Economic Freedom Fighters, which I will discuss below. The FF, or Freedom Front Plus, the party of right-wing white South Africans, with the main focus being against any land reallocation.

Julius Malema and Black Nationalism

The biggest source of legit anti-white, Black nationalism in South Africa is Julius Malema, the head of the Economic Freedom Fighters. Malema was a former ANC youth leader, close with Jacob Zuma when he ruled the party. However, Malema became to radical even for Zuma, and was eventually forced out of the party. His new EFF party first ran in the 2014 elections.

Malema is a certifiable racist, lunatic, and likely fascist. He has called for violent seizures of land and was a major defender of Robert Mugabe’s dictatorship in Zimbabwe. He has made countless anti-white, anti-Asian, and anti-Semitic statements. Contrary to right-wing claims, he HAS been prosecuted for stirring up violence or racial hatred. He attacks journalists, has been kicked out of parliament several times, and just recently pledged his support for Hamas. He also has constant financial issues and is widely seen as corrupt.

Malema and the EFF claim to be a left-wing and Marxist party. However, as anyone who examines African political history knows this is a complicated phrase. Most who saw themselves as “revolutionaries” or folks that are “fighting against colonialism” would adopt the “Marxist” label to appeal to aid from the Soviet Union and get sympathy from western leftists not playing close attention. Malema and the EFF run entirely on racial hatred and favor violence to get there way. If you really want, watch noted leftist streamer VAUSH go through Malema’s controversies piece by piece.

Malema’s EFF party has appeal largely with young rural black voters in South Africa. The rural Black voters are one of the most economically repressed groups in the nations, making them a key block for anti-establishment sentiment. However, its hardly the case that all the EFF backers are supportive of Malema’s positions. In fact, many South African experts believe the EFF could have made much greater gains amid dropping ANC support if Malema was not leading the party.

Malema, per this pre-election survey, had the second worst approval in the nation, at -29%. Only Jacob Zuma, who has been tarnished by corruption issues for years, has a worse approval.

Contrary to what Trump and other right-wingers claim, Malema is not poised to be President of South Africa at any time in the future. One only needs to look at the recent election to verify that.

Malema Failure in 2024 Election

As I discussed in detail in my election preview issue, the ANC, which has ruled South African since 1994, went into 2024 with many issues. The continued economic problems in the country are placed at the feet of the ANC, with voters feeling they have not done enough to fix the issues of Apartheid.

Not only did the ANC face threats from previous parties, but Jacob Zuma had broken away from the ANC and formed the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party (MK) Party. Zuma had the potential to take away votes from the ANC. In addition, MK would likely be strong with the Zulu people, as Zuma is of Zulu ethnicity, and he could take votes away from the EFF by taking disaffected ANC voters. Many rural Black voters are unwilling to go to the DA Party, which is based much more in urban centers.

The final results saw the ANC secure 40% of the vote; far from their 57% in 2020. However, they were still easily the largest party. The DA came in 2nd, up 1% from the last election. The newly-formed MK party was strongest in the Zuma’s home base and came in a solid 3rd. The EFF, meanwhile, fell to under 10% and came in fourth.

Those disenchanted with the ANC went in many directions. I delve into more specifics in my post-election article. The key for this piece is that the EFF did not gain, and in fact narrowly fell in support.

The EFF did not manage to win any of the provinces or municipalities in South Africa, a continuation from 2020. Their best results were 20% - 25% largely in rural black communities.

After the election, the ANC would form Coalition of National Unity. Several parties would join, but the original signatories were the ANC, DA, IFP, and PA. Both the EFF and MK are in opposition.

After the assembly organized, they voted on President. Ramaphosa, as head of the ANC, ran for the post again. There had been debate if he would step down, but he opted to move forward with another term.

The only candidate to challenge Ramaphosa was none other than Julius Malema. The assembly vote was 283 votes to 44. Malema only secured 13% of the vote.

South Africa’s Future

South Africa currently finds itself with a governing coalition for the first time in its Democratic history. The nation faces many issues, namely economic, and it will not always be an easy path forward. Tough decisions will need to be made.

After the 2025 election, a new land bill was passed to focus on the underutilized land. The big was hardly a major revolutionary piece of legislation, with many limits and also broadly reinforcing powers the state already has. This legislation has already become a source of right-wing lies and paranoia. The reality is it is not even enough. Land redistribution is the only real viable solution; and this is not the first time a nation has had to deal with this process.

The reality is, if redistribution of resources is not done in a legal and fair manner, it may eventually happen with mob violence. The longer the economic crisis continues, the better it is for Malema and his radical followers. It is in the interest of everyone opposed to Malema to work toward economic and land reform - to take that grievance away from him. Trump, Musk, and the right-wing only play into Malema’s hands. He loves that he was brought up in the oval office. Trump gave Malema exactly what he wants.

Malema and Trump are very similar, after-all.

• Both are racist nationalists; just reverse the races.

• Both attack the press.

• Both praise dictators.

• Both appeal to attacks on an internal “enemy”

Trump would likely love to see Malema as President of South Africa. Its not like Trump actually cares about the white citizens of the nation. For Donald, a Black nationalist constantly attacking white people is exactly what he wants. It would give him the perfect foil to rile up his own followers. Trump, more than anything else, needs an enemy he can attack.

So my advice to Cyril Ramaphosa…. I know you said you don’t have one - but I’d go find Trump a plane to bribe him with.