Trevor Noah questioned over silence on Trump's claim of ‘white genocide' in SA
Last year, Noah said he still kept up with what's happening in South Africa, despite being out of the country.
Comedian Trevor Noah has been accused of not being patroitic enough. Picture: Stephen McCarthy / Getty Images
US actress Viola Davis' comments on Donald Trump's claims of a white genocide in South Africa have led to accusations that comedian Trevor Noah is not patriotic enough.
Davis, who has visited Mzansi many times and has always expressed her affection for the country, recently expressed her anger at Trump's utterances about white people being murdered in South Africa.
'Spent a lot of time in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, and Durban… there is no argument. There is no justification. I've seen the ravages of apartheid. I've seen the townships — all Black. Full stop,' wrote Davis in response to a CNN roundtable discussion about alleged genocide in the country.
The discussion took place after President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the White House last week, accompanied by a delegation.
ALSO READ: PICS: 'The Woman King' star Viola Davis celebrates birthday in Cape Town
Why Trevor Noah could be a target
Other international South African celebrities, like Black Coffee and Charlize Theron, have been roped in, but Noah has seemingly taken the brunt.
The criticism of Noah most likely stems from his role as the host of The Daily Show, where he has torn into the day's politics through satire.
This has set an expectation that he should always comment on some of the biggest political activities.
Last year, Noah told Radio 702 that he still follows what happens in South Africa, despite being out of the country.
'First and foremost, it's always home. My friends are here, my family is here, so the conversations are about what's happening here. I follow the politics, I follow the news…the only things you have to experience yourself are widespread load shedding, a traffic jam [that turns] into a roadblock,' said Noah at the time.
Some South Africans seem to be irked by his silence, especially when he's aware of what is happening.
World renowned South African celebrities such as Trevor Noah, Charlize Theron and DJ Black Coffee have South Africans asking where their voices are as African-American actress Viola Davis shows support for SA among an onslaught of misinformation from the USA. pic.twitter.com/ftNYjaTIq6 — All Things Current Affairs (@A_T_C_A) May 26, 2025
One person on X counted all of Noah's social media numbers—his Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter) pages—and said Noah should have refuted Trump's claims because of his global influence.
ALSO READ: 'It was very lonely': Trevor Noah reflects on his time on 'The Daily Show'
Outspoken Black Americans
A group of 59 white South Africans recently landed in the US after being granted refugee status by the Trump administration.
Several Americans have commented on this, slamming the fiasco.
US rapper Vic Mensa recently went on TikTok to give a brief lesson on the history of modern-day South Africa in a video titled 'South Africa, Colonization, and the Right to Exist.'
#southafrica #colonization ♬ original sound – Vic Mensa @vicmensa does the colonizer have the right to exist? nations & empires are founded by conquest, not by god given right during my time in south africa i wrote a few essays, i think ill post one on substack later – let me know if you want me to send it to you #colonizer
'By now I'm sure we've all seen the foolishness of white South African 'refugees' escaping an imaginary genocide,' he said in the intro of the video.
'When I was in South Africa one of the most infuriating things was learning that the European 10% minority of the population held 90% of the wealth, that sh*t boiled my f*cken blood,' shared the rapper.
Social commentator Dan Corder took to social media to clarify the situation.
Seasoned comedian DL Hughley initially shared Corder's video, which was liked by Davis and US comedian Wanda Sykes.
NOW READ: 'Never say never' — Jack Parow speaks on refugee status amid European success
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
an hour ago
- Daily Maverick
Restructuring global health – WHO faces major challenges as foreign aid reductions take toll
While the immediate effects of the US cuts in health aid are being felt primarily by the Global South, the associated risks extend worldwide. Last week, global leaders gathered for the World Health Assembly in Geneva to address the reality that the global health landscape is being reshaped by dramatic shifts in funding, priorities, and leadership. Chief among these is the United States' decision to slash foreign aid and withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite spending only 0.24% of its gross national income on foreign aid, the United States has been the largest donor to global health programmes, providing one-third of the international assistance in global health. This is not just a US issue – other countries have also signalled reductions in foreign health aid, and Argentina also recently announced it will withdraw from the WHO. These dramatic shifts have forced the WHO to plan a reduction in staff by nearly 50%, triggering massive restructuring. Non-government organisations (NGOs) are laying off large numbers of staff worldwide. While other donors and philanthropies are stepping in, they cannot fill the void alone. Meanwhile, the shock to the system is already resulting in lives lost. According to the WHO, countries such as Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso and Nigeria may run out of HIV antiretroviral medications within months. The Africa CDC's director-general, Dr Jean Kaseya, warned in March that 'two to four million additional Africans are likely to die annually' as a result of the aid cuts. T The continent now faces a $12-billion shortfall in healthcare financing. Substantial impacts will be felt across the globe, from Afghanistan to Lao PDR, in many low- and middle-income countries. While the immediate effects of these cuts are being felt primarily by the Global South, the associated risks extend globally. When countries become overwhelmed by preventable infections, they will lose the ability to detect and contain pathogens with epidemic potential that could cross borders in days. The current situation carries serious implications for global security as well as health. A new era needs to begin with a roadmap for sustainable domestic funding by individual nations, a strategic view of the role of WHO, and a coordinated plan among major donors. Governments must take the lead in reshaping their health budgets to reflect urgent needs while navigating competing priorities. Donors, NGOs, and multilaterals can support this shift if they embrace flexible, trust-based funding models tailored to local strategies. African health financing The desire to create long-term sustainability is apparent in the Africa CDC's strategic plan to transform health financing, which focuses on domestic resource mobilisation, diversifying funding sources, optimising health fund management and using evidence-based data for efficient resource allocation. The plan calls for member countries to meet the Abuja Declaration target of spending at least 15% of national budgets on health and explores innovative ideas such as solidarity levies and mobilising Africa's $95-billion in annual diaspora remittances. Nigeria's Basic Health Care Provision Fund, which dedicates 1% of revenue (about $150-million annually) to primary care, is a promising example. Any effort to reform global health infrastructure must prioritise resilient, widely accessible primary healthcare. Since the Alma-Ata declaration of 1978, we've known that primary care is the foundation of 'Health for All'. Doing so will not only reduce the impact of chronic and endemic infectious diseases, but also serve to enable systems that quickly identify when infectious disease outbreaks of concern appear. As the WHO recalibrates, it must assess realistically the current situation and focus on its most important core functions for the future: setting global standards, responding to emergencies and coordinating transnational responses. Routine programme implementation should be handled by individual countries, NGOs, and the private sector. The WHO can no longer afford to take on the management of basic health functions within countries. Instead, it needs to focus on maintaining surge capacity to meet needs during health emergencies and facilitate cooperation in transboundary issues. The WHO needs to prioritise doing fewer things better. Now is also the time for new global coalitions, agreements and leadership among non-government actors. The Gates Foundation has reaffirmed its commitment to address emerging challenges. Philanthropies must align their efforts to successfully cooperate, identify priorities and gaps, reduce duplication and maximise impact. Meanwhile, the private sector has a vital role to play in connecting national health priorities to new markets, innovations and partnerships. Global health needs a multisector coalition of the willing right now that is felicitous, innovative, able to learn from past mistakes and adapt to meet the world's current needs and prevent future crises. The time for action is now – the consequences of inaction are too great, and the lives lost are both predictable and preventable. DM Mitchell Wolfe is Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic Studies, Washington, DC; Nahid Bhadelia is Associate Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine; and Wilmot James is Professor and Strategic Advisor to the Pandemic Center at Brown University's School of Public Health and a former Member of Parliament (South Africa).
Daily Maverick
an hour ago
- Daily Maverick
After the Bell: Who's afraid of losing Agoa?
One of the great risks of the debate around Agoa is that it gives us something else to blame, when we should blame ourselves for our poor economy. And we must remember that it is not true that there is no cost to us from Agoa. One of the most boring discussions I've heard around our economy over the past five years has been posed as 'will we keep Agoa?' I hear it everywhere, even now, when US President Donald Trump has made it clear that he wants to tear up the entire trade rule book. I can understand why we keep hearing about it. There are certain sections of our economy that really benefit from it. Because of Agoa (the African Growth and Opportunity Act), they have been able to grow and employ people. And some of the arguments they can make about why Agoa matters to us are important. Free market access to the US is great for the car industry, and for our farmers. It means they are exporting goods produced here, earning dollars in return and basically importing jobs. People are employed, their kids are kept in good schools. You could argue that the entire community around Daily Maverick journalist Estelle Ellis and the rest of the Baywatch team will be badly hit if it all comes to an end. And that would be true. Farmers, too, had a bumper season exporting to the US in the first quarter of the year. They were able to increase the amount of goods they sent there dramatically in that quarter. When I first heard that, I thought, perhaps, like the Chinese (and I'm sure others), they had been rushing goods into US ports before new tariffs could come into effect. But that amazing agricultural economics guru Wandile Sihlobo told me on The Money Show on Monday night that this is not the case. It happened because our farmers have created a strong demand for their goods. And, like our car industry, we are basically importing jobs. But we should be aware that, despite these very loud and important voices in our national debate, this is not the end of the story. The Brookings Institute estimated nearly 18 months ago that 'In total, a loss of Agoa benefits would lead to a GDP decline of just 0.06%'. To put that into context, our GDP grew by just 0.1% in the first quarter of this year. At the same time, the South African Reserve Bank has generally said that load shedding was costing our GDP 2% every year. So it may matter, but only in the context of our complete inability to take action to grow our own economy. One of the great risks of this debate around Agoa is that it gives us something else to blame, when we should blame ourselves for our poor economy. And we must remember that it is not true that there is no cost to us from Agoa. In fact, a few weeks ago I was almost taken aback when an American investor (one of those wonderful people who travels the world, and is hugely interested and fascinated by it) asked me point-blank: 'Why do you all care so much about Agoa?' He even suggested that actually it went against our interests. This is because of some of the small print. If you look at the text of the Act that passed through the US Congress, the conditions of eligibility are designed to literally create African economies in the US mould. Of course, as we were so often reminded during the Lady R saga, it says that you must 'not engage in activities that undermine United States national security or foreign policy interests'. This is a wonderful stick for the US to beat us with. If it wants, it could define our opposition to Israel's genocidal war on the people of Gaza as 'undermining' US 'foreign policy interests'. To be clear, there is much in Agoa that is good. It mentions that workers must be protected, that there should be political freedom and things like that. But it is still a tool of foreign policy. Yes, Agoa is helping African countries to develop. But it is also a useful instrument of control. Agoa looks finished anyway. In reality, the US system of government appears to be giving Trump whatever he wants. So far, very few Republicans have spoken against his tariff policies. But the markets are speaking. And the fact that the bond markets have forced Trump to basically chicken out has given us the wonderful phrase Taco (Trump always chickens out). So, I do think we need to be less afraid of him. He is slowly being revealed as all bark and very little bite. What we really need to do is to find Americans who lose out if we cannot export to the US. The US citrus industry, for example, needs our oranges to keep the market interested in oranges during their non-growing season. And we should not forget those strange people who drive BMW X3s. The models sold in the US are only made here. And even if they are rubbish cars (who can forget Jeremy Clarkson having to throw the sound guy out of the car to go and push, even now it's still worth watching), there is still a lobby for them in the US. I think we need to stop worrying so much about Agoa.
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Maestro Musetti carves Tiafoe win to reach French Open semifinals
Italian craftsman Lorenzo Musetti used his full palette of shots to decorate Court Philippe Chatrier with blistering baseline winners, beating American Frances Tiafoe 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2 to reach the French Open semifinals for the first time on Tuesday. Despite a few muddled moments, the world number seven set up a meeting with either defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or Tommy Paul of the US as he continues his Renaissance after some soul searching. Musetti, who said he put some order in his mind and game, did not let frustration take the best of him after losing the second set and once he found his groove, there was no stopping him as 15th seed Tiafoe gradually lost the plot, twice arguing with the chair umpire over line calls. He bowed out with yet another routine shot into the net, his 'Big Foe' neck chain dripping with sweat as a testimony of the battle just fought. Lorenzo Musetti carries the one-handed backhand legacy into the #RolandGarros semifinals 💥🎾 — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2025 'Definitely Frances did not start the way he wanted but today was really complicated, it was so windy and difficult to mange to properly hit the ball,' said Musetti, the only man to reach at least the semifinals of every main clay court event this season. 'The third set was a fight and even if I was a little tired I found the extra energy to win this set and the last set was probably the best set of this match.' Musetti is one of the rare top players using the single-handed backhand, a vintage shot often praised by tennis connoisseurs. 'We are Italian, we are elegant,' he joked. 'Joke aside, I have a little bit of a retro style.' 'Our rivalry is pushing both of us.' It's going to be a blockbuster match-up between Sabalenka and Swiatek in the semifinals 🍿 🎟️ #RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2025 Earlier, and in front of mostly empty seats around lunchtime four-time champion Iga Swiatek, looking to become the first woman in the professional era to win the title four times in a row, beat Elina Svitolina 6-1 7-5 to set up a clash with world number one Aryna Sabalenka for a place in Saturday's final. The Belarusian ended Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen's 10-match winning streak at Roland Garros with a 7-6(3) 6-3 victory to advance. With the main arena finally almost full, Musetti got off to a strong start, his heavy top spin proving tough to handle for Tiafoe, who dropped serve in the second game. The Italian, however, was not completely flawless and he faced a break point at 4-2, which he saw off thanks to his mesmerising backhand. He sealed the opening set on his opponent's serve when Tiafoe's volley sailed wide. Musetti's game, however, needed some fine-tuning and Tiafoe jumped on the occasion to bank on errors here and there to snatch an early break in the second set. He held serve throughout to level the contest as Musetti seemed to struggle adjusting to the windy conditions on Court Philippe Chatrier. Musetti dug deep in the third and played a near-perfect game on Tiafoe's serve to surge 2-1 ahead. A modest second serve met Musetti's powerful cross court return and after trading heavy topspin shots, Tiafoe attempted a crafty drop shot, but the Italian charged forward for a clinical backhand winner on the baseline. The fourth set looked more like a post-match cool-down for Musetti, who would not be distracted by Tiafoe's antics.
