Trump Falsely Says White South Africans Fleeing to Australia
- admin928749
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is stirring controversy again — this time over a discredited conspiracy theory involving South Africa.
In a tense and somewhat chaotic meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House, Trump claimed — without evidence — that white South African farmers are being murdered and their land taken from them in what he described as “the opposite of apartheid.” He even showed a video that he said proved a “genocide” was underway.
Trump told Ramaphosa that white farmers were fleeing South Africa for countries like the U.S. and Australia.
“They’re being executed,” he claimed. “They happen to be white, and most of them happen to be farmers.”
He doubled down later, saying Australia was being “inundated” with white South Africans fleeing their farms and that many were trying to come to the U.S. too.
But here’s the thing — none of that is backed up by facts.
Yes, crime in South Africa is high, but the vast majority of victims are Black South Africans, not white farmers. The South African government has repeatedly rejected claims of a targeted campaign against white people, calling them simply untrue.
Back in 2018, Peter Dutton — then Australia’s Home Affairs Minister — did float the idea of giving white South African farmers special humanitarian visas, saying they deserved attention and needed help “from a civilised country like ours.” But the idea sparked a backlash, and no special visa program was ever created. The South African government also said at the time, “That threat does not exist.”
South Africa isn’t even in the top 10 countries for humanitarian entrants into Australia. That list is dominated by places with genuine conflict like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Myanmar. That said, South Africans do make up a sizable migrant community in Australia — they’re the seventh-largest, making up about 0.8% of Australia’s population.
Still, Trump stuck to his claims, saying white South African farmers’ land is “valueless” and that thousands want to escape.
Just this year, about 50 Afrikaners reportedly arrived in the U.S. after Trump offered them asylum — even though the U.S. has largely shut its doors to asylum seekers from countries like Sudan or Syria. That’s drawn sharp criticism.
Senator Chris Van Hollen slammed the move, accusing the Trump administration of creating a system of “global apartheid” by prioritising white South Africans over refugees from war zones.
Throughout the Oval Office meeting, as Trump grew louder and more animated, President Ramaphosa stayed calm. He acknowledged that crime is a serious issue in South Africa but made it clear that the majority of victims are Black — not white farmers.
Quoting Nelson Mandela, Ramaphosa said, “Whenever there are problems, people need to sit down around the table and talk about them. And this is precisely what we would also like to talk about.”
In short, Trump’s claims don’t match the reality on the ground — and leaders and experts from both South Africa and abroad are pushing back hard.
More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.
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