South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has fired a stark warning at those who claim that the country's Afrikaner minority is facing racial persecution, stating that such false claims pose a significant threat to the nation's sovereignty and national security.
The president's remarks come as white supremacist ideology continues to gain traction, with figures like former US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk promoting conspiracy theories of "white genocide" in South Africa. These false narratives have been widely debunked by fact-checkers and experts, yet they continue to spread and fuel anti-black sentiment among some groups.
Ramaphosa's comments underscore the deep-seated racial divisions that remain in post-apartheid South Africa, where Afrikaners are a small but influential minority with historical ties to the apartheid regime. The president's party, the African National Congress (ANC), has long been committed to addressing the legacy of apartheid and promoting greater social justice and equality.
However, Trump's rhetoric has had a profound impact on public discourse in South Africa, with many Afrikaners feeling emboldened to express racist sentiments and push for policies that benefit their community at the expense of others. The former US President's US$13 billion claim on Trump National Doral Miami golf resort for the 2026 G20 summit has also been seen as a blatant attempt to exert influence over the country.
Ramaphosa's warnings are all the more urgent given the growing international pushback against South Africa's policies of transformation and redress. The former US President's boycott of last month's G20 leaders summit in Johannesburg, for example, highlights the dangers of a small group of powerful individuals trying to dictate global policy from afar.
The president's call for a unified counter-narrative is also timely, as the notion that white Afrikaners are being persecuted has become a rallying cry for far-right groups and xenophobic ideologies. As Ramaphosa said, "This is a campaign that needs to be launched not only in our country, but globally as well."
The president's remarks come as white supremacist ideology continues to gain traction, with figures like former US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk promoting conspiracy theories of "white genocide" in South Africa. These false narratives have been widely debunked by fact-checkers and experts, yet they continue to spread and fuel anti-black sentiment among some groups.
Ramaphosa's comments underscore the deep-seated racial divisions that remain in post-apartheid South Africa, where Afrikaners are a small but influential minority with historical ties to the apartheid regime. The president's party, the African National Congress (ANC), has long been committed to addressing the legacy of apartheid and promoting greater social justice and equality.
However, Trump's rhetoric has had a profound impact on public discourse in South Africa, with many Afrikaners feeling emboldened to express racist sentiments and push for policies that benefit their community at the expense of others. The former US President's US$13 billion claim on Trump National Doral Miami golf resort for the 2026 G20 summit has also been seen as a blatant attempt to exert influence over the country.
Ramaphosa's warnings are all the more urgent given the growing international pushback against South Africa's policies of transformation and redress. The former US President's boycott of last month's G20 leaders summit in Johannesburg, for example, highlights the dangers of a small group of powerful individuals trying to dictate global policy from afar.
The president's call for a unified counter-narrative is also timely, as the notion that white Afrikaners are being persecuted has become a rallying cry for far-right groups and xenophobic ideologies. As Ramaphosa said, "This is a campaign that needs to be launched not only in our country, but globally as well."
it's so wild how these old white guys keep spewing this toxic white supremacy nonsense everywhere 
like, can't they just chill and recognize their own privilege already? South Africa's got enough issues to deal with without some rich dude like Elon Musk stirring up drama 
. And what's really worrying is that Afrikaners are buying into it 
- like, come on guys, we're better than this 
. Cyril Ramaphosa is trying to warn them, but I'm not sure if anyone's listening 
.
. It's so unfair to the black community and it's making things super tense between Afrikaners and everyone else 
. And omg, can we talk about how Trump's words are fueling all this drama 
? Like, I know he's just trying to stir up some controversy, but seriously, it's having real consequences 
. We need a unified counter-narrative ASAP 
.
.
. We need more leaders like Cyril Ramaphosa who call out the lies and promote unity, not division 
. And Trump's influence? It's like, dude, you can't just tweet your way into being a world leader 
. We need facts, not fiction, especially when it comes to issues of racism and inequality 
.
think its a big problem when people start believing false info about racism in SA... doesnt matter if u r white or black, we all deserve equal rights n opportunities... Trumps influence has got ppl thinking afrikaners r being targeted, but that isnt true