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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday at the White House amid rising tensions between the two nations.
The meeting came just one week after the Trump administration granted refugee status to 59 White South Africans. Trump claimed the group faced “genocide” and state-sponsored discrimination, citing South Africa’s land reform policies that allow for expropriation without compensation from White landowners. Ramaphosa’s delegation firmly rejected those accusations, emphasizing the country’s constitutional commitment to equitable land reform.
South African President Ramaphosa Urges Trump to Listen
During the meeting, a White South African reporter asked Trump, “Mr. President, what would it take for you to be convinced that there’s no White genocide in South Africa?”
Trump tossed the question to Ramaphosa.
“It will take President Trump listening to the voices of [White] South Africans, some of whom are his good friends, like those who are here,” Ramaphosa replied. “When we have talks between us around a quiet table, it will take President Trump to listen to them. I’m not going to be repeating what I’ve been saying. I would say, if there was Afrikaner farmer genocide, I can bet you these three gentlemen would not be here, including my Minister of Agriculture.”
Trump responded, “We have thousands of stories talking about it.”
Crime, Not Race: South African Voices Respond
John Steenhuisen, also White and serving as South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture, echoed Ramaphosa’s position.
“I would say we have a real safety problem in South Africa. I don’t think anyone wants to candy coat that,” Steenhuisen said. “As the Minister of Agriculture, it is something that I am particularly exercised with my colleagues at police and my colleagues in the justice cluster to start making farm attacks and stock theft a priority crime. And it affects all farmers in South Africa, particularly stock theft has a disproportionate effect on Black farmers.”
To underscore their message, South African President Ramaphosa included three high-profile White South African men in his delegation: Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and Johann Rupert.
Els and Goosen are Hall of Fame golfers with global recognition, while Rupert is South Africa’s richest man and a prominent businessman. Their presence aimed to counter claims of systemic persecution and promote unity.
“We have too many deaths, but it’s across the board. It’s not only White farmers,” Rupert said, agreeing with Steenhuisen that South Africa has a crime problem and not necessarily a race problem.
Seeking to gauge Trump’s position, a reporter asked, “I’m wondering if you made up your mind as to whether you believe genocide is occurring in South Africa or you still have doubts?”
Trump replied, “Well, I haven’t made up my mind. I hate to see it from the standpoint of South Africa. But also, you know, I’m trying to save lives.”
Land Reform Under Scrutiny
Trump continued to stoke controversy, stating: “Their land is being confiscated, and in many cases, they’re being killed.”
In response, South African officials pushed back, reiterating that the country’s Constitution provides equal protection for all landowners.
“Our Constitution guarantees and protects the sanctity of tenure of land ownership. And that Constitution protects all South Africans with regard to land ownership,” Ramaphosa said.
Zingiswa Losi, president of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, further explained South Africa’s legal process for land acquisition.
“There is no expropriation without compensation. But it is a willing buyer, willing seller. And that White farmer was even saying that the government is even paying more in buying the land than what the land is worth. And I think those are the realities that we must say that we need to address, of course.”
A Tale of Two Realities
The meeting revealed a stark contrast in narratives. The South African President’s delegation leaned on constitutional law, data, and lived experience. Trump, meanwhile, continued to invoke anecdotal evidence and unverified claims. The exchange underscored how deeply political rhetoric, racial fear, and misinformation can shape international policy—especially when facts are up for debate.