Donald Trump’s Delusions about South Africa
Published in Rzeczpospolita
(Poland) on 22 May 2025
by Jedrzej Bielecki (link to original)
U.S. President Donald Trump has avoided criticizing Russian crimes in Ukraine or the pacification of Gaza, yet he readily labels sporadic violence against white farmers in South Africa as genocide.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa crossed the threshold of the White House on Wednesday with a clear mission: to appease Donald Trump enough to maintain close economic cooperation between the two countries. Trump has targeted Pretoria since the beginning of the year. He claimed that white farmers were victims of "genocide."
That's why he expelled South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool from Washington. He also agreed to grant asylum to a small group of white South Africans. He also imposed a 30% tariff on South African imports. And although they were suspended for 90 days, Trump does not rule out that, once the grace period expires, they will be raised even more. Finally, the American leader threatened not to appear at the G20 summit in Johannesburg in November.
Ramaphosa Hoped To Direct Trump's Attention to His Favorite Sport: Golf
For Pretoria, the American market is vital. The country cannot break out of the economic slump: it grew at a rate of just 0.6% last year, and this year, the International Monetary Fund forecasts growth of 1%. One of the reasons is the tragic state of the infrastructure, which makes it impossible even to maintain a constant supply of electricity, while some roads remain totally impassable. Another problem is rampant corruption. The Black majority's failed expectations of a better life, however, mean that the African National Congress, which has already lost its majority and must govern with the Liberal Democratic Alliance, could be pushed into opposition altogether in the next election.
Known for his unusual composure and subtle tactical games, Ramaphosa brought leading white billionaires to the White House, such as Richmond luxury goods group owner Johann Rupert and media mogul Koos Bekker. They supposedly tried to convince Trump that, yes, South Africa suffers from a huge crime rate, but it affects all social groups, not just whites. In turn, Ramaphosa tasked golf champion Retief Goosen with redirecting the conversation to Trump's favorite sport and praising the spectacular golf courses South Africa has to offer.
But this did not amount to much. At one point, the U.S. president ordered the lights dimmed, so those gathered had to watch on the screen, for several minutes, recordings depicting “genocide” carried out on white farmers. Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, appeared singing the song, popular during the apartheid era, “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer.” Later, they showed what appeared to be a cemetery filled with white crosses, which Trump described as burial sites, “Over a thousand of white farmers.” The image turned out to be fake: The white crosses were set up only for one day on the occasion of the funeral of a murdered white farming couple.
Last year, there were 139 attacks on farms run by descendants of white immigrants in South Africa, in which 32 people were killed. Still, that’s three times fewer similar crimes than during the peak in 2017. This scale of crime, in fact, gets lost in the sea of murders, which claim around 30,000 victims across the country each year. The vast majority of them are Black.
In January, Ramaphosa signed a law that, in extreme cases, allows for nationalization without compensation of white-owned farms. So far, however, the law has not been implemented even once. While whites make up only 7% of the population of 60 million, they own 47% of the land. Black people have to be satisfied with 11%. The rest belongs to the municipalities or the state.
South African President Was Not Kicked out of the White House, as Happened with the President of Ukraine
White minority organizations issued a statement denying that their community has been the victim of genocide or even discrimination. But the attack on the Black majority fits perfectly with the ideology on which Trump's movement is based. The president is also being prodded in this direction by South African-born Elon Musk. The richest man in the world claims that his satellite network, Starlink, was not allowed to enter the South African market. The truth is slightly different: Musk never asked for it, as local regulations require him to form a company in which at least 30% of the shares belong to representatives of economically disadvantaged groups (i.e., Black people).
Wednesday's scene in the White House resembled what Volodymyr Zelenskyy experienced in February. Back then, Trump humiliated the Ukrainian president in front of the whole world. Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen believes the similarity is not accidental. In his opinion, just as Trump wants to free himself from the burden of supporting the Ukrainians, he also intends to give up the competition for influence in the Global South. South Africa is strategically important in this competition. China wants to strengthen its presence in the country, which has the largest economy on the African continent.
After leaving the White House, Ramaphosa maintained that he fared much better than his Ukrainian counterpart. He was not expelled from the U.S. president's residence, as was Zelenskyy. Following the meeting with journalists, the two leaders also attended a working session and had lunch together. According to the South African president, in the absence of cameras, Trump said that he would come to Johannesburg for the G20 summit. Both presidents also agreed to hold additional negotiations aimed at reducing tariffs.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa crossed the threshold of the White House on Wednesday with a clear mission: to appease Donald Trump enough to maintain close economic cooperation between the two countries. Trump has targeted Pretoria since the beginning of the year. He claimed that white farmers were victims of "genocide."
That's why he expelled South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool from Washington. He also agreed to grant asylum to a small group of white South Africans. He also imposed a 30% tariff on South African imports. And although they were suspended for 90 days, Trump does not rule out that, once the grace period expires, they will be raised even more. Finally, the American leader threatened not to appear at the G20 summit in Johannesburg in November.
Ramaphosa Hoped To Direct Trump's Attention to His Favorite Sport: Golf
For Pretoria, the American market is vital. The country cannot break out of the economic slump: it grew at a rate of just 0.6% last year, and this year, the International Monetary Fund forecasts growth of 1%. One of the reasons is the tragic state of the infrastructure, which makes it impossible even to maintain a constant supply of electricity, while some roads remain totally impassable. Another problem is rampant corruption. The Black majority's failed expectations of a better life, however, mean that the African National Congress, which has already lost its majority and must govern with the Liberal Democratic Alliance, could be pushed into opposition altogether in the next election.
Known for his unusual composure and subtle tactical games, Ramaphosa brought leading white billionaires to the White House, such as Richmond luxury goods group owner Johann Rupert and media mogul Koos Bekker. They supposedly tried to convince Trump that, yes, South Africa suffers from a huge crime rate, but it affects all social groups, not just whites. In turn, Ramaphosa tasked golf champion Retief Goosen with redirecting the conversation to Trump's favorite sport and praising the spectacular golf courses South Africa has to offer.
But this did not amount to much. At one point, the U.S. president ordered the lights dimmed, so those gathered had to watch on the screen, for several minutes, recordings depicting “genocide” carried out on white farmers. Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, appeared singing the song, popular during the apartheid era, “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer.” Later, they showed what appeared to be a cemetery filled with white crosses, which Trump described as burial sites, “Over a thousand of white farmers.” The image turned out to be fake: The white crosses were set up only for one day on the occasion of the funeral of a murdered white farming couple.
Last year, there were 139 attacks on farms run by descendants of white immigrants in South Africa, in which 32 people were killed. Still, that’s three times fewer similar crimes than during the peak in 2017. This scale of crime, in fact, gets lost in the sea of murders, which claim around 30,000 victims across the country each year. The vast majority of them are Black.
In January, Ramaphosa signed a law that, in extreme cases, allows for nationalization without compensation of white-owned farms. So far, however, the law has not been implemented even once. While whites make up only 7% of the population of 60 million, they own 47% of the land. Black people have to be satisfied with 11%. The rest belongs to the municipalities or the state.
South African President Was Not Kicked out of the White House, as Happened with the President of Ukraine
White minority organizations issued a statement denying that their community has been the victim of genocide or even discrimination. But the attack on the Black majority fits perfectly with the ideology on which Trump's movement is based. The president is also being prodded in this direction by South African-born Elon Musk. The richest man in the world claims that his satellite network, Starlink, was not allowed to enter the South African market. The truth is slightly different: Musk never asked for it, as local regulations require him to form a company in which at least 30% of the shares belong to representatives of economically disadvantaged groups (i.e., Black people).
Wednesday's scene in the White House resembled what Volodymyr Zelenskyy experienced in February. Back then, Trump humiliated the Ukrainian president in front of the whole world. Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen believes the similarity is not accidental. In his opinion, just as Trump wants to free himself from the burden of supporting the Ukrainians, he also intends to give up the competition for influence in the Global South. South Africa is strategically important in this competition. China wants to strengthen its presence in the country, which has the largest economy on the African continent.
After leaving the White House, Ramaphosa maintained that he fared much better than his Ukrainian counterpart. He was not expelled from the U.S. president's residence, as was Zelenskyy. Following the meeting with journalists, the two leaders also attended a working session and had lunch together. According to the South African president, in the absence of cameras, Trump said that he would come to Johannesburg for the G20 summit. Both presidents also agreed to hold additional negotiations aimed at reducing tariffs.
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