Years of lobbying by a White Afrikaans rights group targeting right-wing U.S. politicians led to President Donald Trump accusing South Africa of planning land seizures targeting “ethnic minority Afrikaners” and threatening to cut financial aid to the country.
South Africa’s political spectrum strongly responded to the allegations on Friday, dismissing them as baseless and inflammatory.
The accusations stem from claims made by fringe organisations that South Africa’s government is oppressing the white minority population. These groups, despite receiving a platform, have since attempted to moderate their rhetoric amid the unexpected intensity of U.S. engagement.
“South Africa has 141 race-based laws, and government officials frequently make racist statements,” said Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, during a press briefing held at the organization’s Pretoria office. The office is located on a street named after an apartheid-era prime minister, further underscoring the group’s controversial history.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) sharply criticised AfriForum, accusing it of perpetuating “racist distortions” to mislead the global community while defending apartheid-era land ownership patterns. The ANC stressed that recent legislation allowing land expropriation in specific cases mirrors eminent domain laws seen in other countries, including the U.S.
The fallout from Trump’s claims could significantly impact South Africa’s international aid, particularly a long-standing $407 million HIV program that is vital for combating the epidemic.
“We did not accuse the government of large-scale race-based land grabs or share false information on the matter,” said Flip Buys, chairman of the Solidarity Movement, a predominantly white advocacy organisation linked to AfriForum. He added, “We would never call for sanctions against South Africa or for aid to vulnerable people to be cut.”
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AfriForum, which claims a membership of 300,000, opposes policies aimed at addressing historical inequalities, such as laws promoting Black ownership in business and employment. The group has drawn international attention by highlighting alleged expropriation and violent attacks against White farmers.
In 2018, AfriForum representatives, including Ernst Roets, met with prominent U.S. conservatives, such as Senator Ted Cruz and then-National Security Advisor John Bolton. An appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight elevated their claims, prompting Trump to comment publicly. During the broadcast, Roets alleged that South African officials were “threatening White farmers with violent takeovers” if they didn’t voluntarily cede land.
However, South Africa’s high crime rate affects people of all races, with experts attributing the violence to extreme inequality rather than targeted attacks on any specific group.
Elon Musk, a South Africa-born billionaire and one of Trump’s most prominent allies, has also raised concerns about the country’s Black economic empowerment laws. Musk cited these regulations as the reason he hasn’t introduced his Starlink satellite internet service to South Africa, one of the few countries in the region where his company doesn’t operate. AfriForum has publicly supported Musk’s stance against these ownership laws.
“There’s renewed global focus on South Africa,” said Jaco Kleynhans, international liaison for the Solidarity Movement, noting that recent White House appointees showed heightened interest in reviewing relations with the country.
Musk has also perpetuated unfounded claims of a so-called “White genocide” in South Africa, a narrative AfriForum and its allies avoid explicitly endorsing. However, the group’s messaging has found traction among online communities, gaining amplification from right-wing figures and foreign White nationalist movements. Trump’s comments over the weekend further emboldened these networks, sparking celebrations from accounts aligned with AfriForum and similar organisations.
