Trump's genocide claims stir controversy ahead of Ramaphosa's US visit

Key topicsTrump repeats unfounded claim of White genocide in South AfricaRamaphosa to meet Trump amid strained US-South Africa relationsSA leaders reject genocide claims, push to protect trade ties.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Jordan Fabian and Neil Munshi.US President Donald Trump for the second time in a week accused South Africa of perpetrating a genocide against White people — without any proof — just days before he is set to receive the country’s leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, in the White House.“We treat people very well when we see there’s a genocide going on,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force One, responding to a question. “So, if it’s a genocide, that’s terrible, and I happen to believe it could very well be. South Africa’s out of control.”The comments came after the US welcomed dozens of White Afrikaners as refugees, claiming they are a persecuted minority — a designation Ramaphosa and his government dispute. Trump and his South Africa-born billionaire backer Elon Musk have both repeatedly spread the conspiracy theory that South Africa is orchestrating a genocide against White Afrikaner farmers and seizing their land..Read more:.Ramaphosa seeks to calm US storm in upcoming meeting with Trump.On Monday, in response to a question about prioritizing Afrikaners over refugees fleeing famine and conflict, Trump said, “It’s a genocide that’s taking place.”This week Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot from Musk’s xAI, also spread the conspiracy theory, randomly replying to unrelated user queries with claims of a genocide against White South Africans. Musk and the company blamed the glitch on an “unauthorized modification.”The US has objected to a land bill that Ramaphosa signed late last year that will make it easier for the government to expropriate private property if it’s in the public interest, similar to eminent domain laws in the US. There have been no official land seizures in South Africa since apartheid ended in 1994, while police statistics show young Black men bear the brunt of violent crime. Ramaphosa has repeatedly denied that any group is being persecuted and insisted that property can only be taken within the confines of the constitution. Ramaphosa’s visit to the US and talks with Trump on May 21 “provides a platform to reset the strategic relationship between the two countries,” according to his office. .“I think there’s going to be a big opportunity for us and President Ramaphosa to dispel some of the misinformation and myths that have been spread in the US about what’s happening in South Africa,” said John Steenhuisen, who leads the Democratic Alliance, the second-largest party in the country’s ruling alliance. “This nonsense about genocide, this nonsense about mass expropriation of properties. It is simply not true.”Parks Tau, South Africa’s trade minister, is leading efforts to put together a mutually acceptable trade deal to present to Trump to ensure the country isn’t hit with punitive tariffs that make its goods uncompetitive, Steenhuisen, who also serves as agriculture minister, told reporters near Bothaville in the central Free State province. .© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

Trump's genocide claims stir controversy ahead of Ramaphosa's US visit

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