Mbalula accuses Trump of ‘punishing’ South Africa over fabricated claims of white genocide

African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has accused US President Donald Trump of trying to punish South Africa over what he described as a fabricated claim that white farmers are being “slaughtered” in the country.

Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday at the ANC headquarters in Johannesburg, Mbalula said Washington’s decision not to participate in the upcoming G20 Summit in Johannesburg on November 22 to 23 was politically motivated.

“The American administration of Donald Trump not taking part in the G20 is to communicate a message of seeking to punish our country, but unfortunately, the reasons they have chosen to punish us economically are incorrect - they are lies and fabricated,” he said.

Mbalula added that South Africa is not a communist country, rejecting Trump’s characterization of the nation in recent remarks.

“If they use the question of genocide, the president of America goes to Miami and says things are horrible there, that things are bad here, and that we are a communist country,” Mbalula said.

His comments follow Trump’s announcement that no US government officials will attend the G20 Summit, accusing South Africa of “human rights abuses” and claiming that white Afrikaner farmers are being “killed and slaughtered” and their land “illegally confiscated”.

In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump wrote, “It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa. Afrikaners, people who are descended from Dutch, and also French and German settlers, are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.

“No US government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue. I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida.”

Trump’s remarks have drawn international attention and come amid months of tension between Washington and Pretoria over the US government’s so-called “Afrikaner resettlement programme” - a policy the South African government has dismissed as baseless and misinformed.

Mbalula criticised Trump’s administration for inconsistency, saying it had not raised concerns directly with Pretoria during previous engagements.

“The Donald Trump administration has not been straight with us. When President Ramaphosa went there, they raised the issue about killings on farms and then they played a video of Julius Malema - that’s where it ended,” Mbalula said.

In May this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa met with Trump’s administration at the White House in an attempt to mend growing diplomatic and economic tensions. 

During that meeting, Trump called for the arrest of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema over his continued use of the controversial “Kill the Boer” chant . 

This demand further strained relations between the two nations.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen, who attended the discussions, told Trump and senior US officials that his party joined the Government of National Unity (GNU) to prevent certain political parties, particularly the EFF and uMkhonto weSizwe (MK Party), from entering government.

Tensions between Washington and Pretoria have continued to mount during Trump’s second term, particularly following his criticism of South Africa’s land reform policy, which he described as a “seizure of land” from white Afrikaner farmers. 

However, the South African government has rubbished the claim.

Mbalula also accused Trump of ignoring South Africa’s stance on international issues such as its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“He never said anything about the ICJ, about us taking Israel to international court,” he said.

“He never said he’s got a problem with our policies - expropriation of land and all of that - but every time he’s got an opportunity, he takes a swipe at us. He says there’s a genocide, horrible things are happening, and that’s it.”

Mbalula said the US administration had not provided a clear explanation for its decision to boycott the summit.

“There’s not been clarity about why we are being punished so that our government can respond appropriately. We’ve explained to them that issues like BBBEE are matters of redress in our country,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) rejected what it called “false and misleading narratives” about conditions faced by white South Africans.

“The claim of a so-called ‘white genocide’ in South Africa has been widely discredited and is unsupported by reliable evidence,” DIRCO said in a statement. 

“Therefore, a programme designed to facilitate their immigration and resettlement as refugees is fundamentally flawed.”

DIRCO added that South Africa “remains a constitutional democracy that upholds the rule of law and protects the rights of all its citizens”.

“We refute that these individuals are persecuted on the grounds of race or language. The idea that a particular race is being targeted for crime is also not founded on any evidence,” spokesperson for International Relations and Co-operation Minister Ronald Lamola, Chrispin Phiri added.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

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