On Monday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa refuted claims that white folks, especially Afrikaners, are being targeted in South Africa.
His speech refutes assertions made by white majority groups, billionaire Elon Musk, and US president Donald Trump. These charges include those of” white genocide” and “targeted farm problems. They contend that the black-led state of South Africa unfairly targets Afrikaners, who are descended from Dutch and French settlers.
Ramaphosa did not name people immediately, but he warned in his weekly address that they should not let external forces divide. He argued that the claim that people were being targeted for their race or culture was untrue.
We shouldn’t allow conflicts between us or break our differences due to events that occur outside of our borders. We really specifically refute the blatant myth that people of a certain race or culture are being targeted for persecution in our country, he said, according to news organization Associated Press.
The discussion was sparked when businessman, Musk, a born in South Africa, accused on X some Southern African political numbers of “actively promoting light genocide.” His statement came after a rally by the far-left opposition group Economic Freedom Fighters ( EFF ) where members sang a controversial song with the lyrics” Kill the Boer, the farmer” ( Kill the Boer, the farmer ) ).
Trump also recently passed an executive order that reduces US funding for South Africa and grants immigrant standing to Afrikaners in the US. His decision was based on assertions that the state of South Africa has passed property seizure laws against white farmers and encourages farm attacks.
He reiterated his position on Monday by sharing a screenshot of Musk’s post on Truth Social.
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All cultural groups are at risk of being aggressive in South Africa. Experts claim that despite farm murders occurring, they only account for a small percentage of the nation’s general homicide rate, according to the news agency Associated Press. Authorities in South Africa reported almost 7, 000 deaths over the last three months, a small number of which occurred on farms.
Despite these details, organizations representing Afrikaners assert that land problems are underreported. Some organizations have objected to the song’s use at the EFF protest, arguing that it incites crime. A 2022 choice determined that it was protected under freedom of speech, despite a court’s previous ruling that it was love statement.
