Latest news with #SA-US
IOL News
3 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Trump allies' fact finding mission on white farmers and genocide may not change US President's mind
US President Donald Trump's narrative on white farmers received a backlash from his ally, Pastor Mark Burns (right). Image: X Mark Burns, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, has returned from a visit to South Africa with a message contradicting claims of genocide against white farmers in the country. However experts believe that Trump always knew that there was no white genocide in the country and even if Burns advises the US President otherwise, this will not make a difference. Burns, who is the founder and CEO of the NOW television network, met with white Afrikaner farmers and business owners during his trip and concluded that there is no evidence to support the claims of genocide. According to Burns, the farmers he met were shocked to discover that such claims were being made. "You were able to hear their perspectives. "From their point of view, being white Afrikaners, there is absolutely no genocide or white genocide in South Africa," Burns said. He added that the farmers were more concerned about crime and safety, rather than genocide. Burns cited statistics provided by a white farmer, which showed that out of 5,200 murders in the last reporting quarter, only 12 were related to farmers, and only three of those were white. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading "You clearly see that based on those statistics, and this was given to me by a farmer, a white farmer, and that to me speaks extreme volumes," he said. Despite the controversy, Burns is optimistic about the future of US-South Africa relations. He believes that a stronger South Africa is a stronger America, and vice versa. "If we are going to continue to make America great, partnering with South Africa is one of the components to do it," he said. Burns The question remains whether Burns' claims will change Trump's "belief" that there is a white genocide in South Africa. International relations expert Rich Mashimbye said for a while, the SA-US diplomatic tensions centred around the Trump-led government's accusations that the Ramaphosa government, was persecuting white South Africans and confiscating land from Afrikaner farmers while remaining silent. He said it did not matter what people said because Trump was aware there was no white genocide in South Africa but wanted to use the claim to get his way. 'As president of a country with one the largest embassies that is fully staffed in South Africa, Trump has access to all the information he requires about South Africa's transformation project and he likely knows that the issues of land reform and crime dynamics are not as has been portrayed so far. 'He knows that there is no genocide happening nor confiscation of white owned farms in South Africa. It is likely that the diplomatic attacks directed at South Africa are aimed at discouraging the Ramaphosa government from robustly executing the transformation project,' he said. Political analyst Sandile Swana said Burns' public statements were encouraging and showed that not everyone in Trump's camp agreed with him. 'To me they represent signs from the Trump's they have to tell a different story, which they are now doing…and a different story they are now telling is that whatever crime that is happening, is not a genocide but just crime that needs to be attended to." "There are about 600 American companies in South Africa such as Microsoft, IBM, Amazon, the Ford Motor Company and so on, so quite clearly the sources of information they have used (for the genocide claims) were not genuine. He said the country should welcome the efforts of Burns and hope that his camp will start to change their narrative to a much more sensible one.
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Afrikaner ‘refugees' continue to arrive in US on commercial flights
Relations between South Africa and the US have been on shaky ground amid false claims of a white genocide from the Trump administration. Picture for illustration. A group of Afrikaners gathered outside the American Embassy in Pretoria to deliver a memorandum to US President Donald Trump. Picture: Nigel Sibanda /The Citizen More Afrikaners reportedly continue to leave South Africa for the United States as part of the Afrikaner resettlement programme offered by President Donald Trump. The US embassy in Pretoria reportedly told News24 that it is reviewing inquiries from South Africans who are interested in settling in the US and is 'reaching out to eligible individuals for refugee interviews and processing'. Afrikaner 'refugees' continue to arrive in the US on commercial flights, the embassy reportedly told the publication. SA-US relations Relations between South Africa and the US have been on shaky ground amid false claims of a white genocide from the Trump administration and the signing of the Expropriation Bill. ALSO READ: Start of new 'Great Trek'? Afrikaners arrive in US Last month, a charter plane carrying 49 Afrikaners who were granted refugee status by the Trump administration to save them from the 'terrible things that are happening in South Africa' departed. They were welcomed by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. 'This tremendous accomplishment, at the direction of Secretary Rubio, responds to President Trump's call to prioritise US refugee resettlement of this vulnerable group facing unjust racial discrimination in South Africa,' said Tammy Bruce, spokesperson for the United States Department of State, at the time. 'Today, the United States sends a clear message, in alignment with the administration's America First foreign policy agenda, that America will take action to protect victims of racial discrimination. We stand with these refugees as they build a better future for themselves and their children in the United States. ALSO READ: Resettlement of Afrikaners in US as refugees 'entirely politically motivated' Dirco says 'No one should have to fear having their property seized without compensation or becoming the victim of violent attacks because of their ethnicity. In the coming months, we will continue to welcome more Afrikaner refugees and help them rebuild their lives in our great country.' Government on Afrikaner 'refugees' At the time, the South African government could not confirm if another group would depart. 'It's not our job to be briefing on when they're moving. You must go to [AfriForum CEO] Mr Kallie Kriel, Solidarity and those groupings for those updates. Our job is to make sure that when they leave, they don't leave any debt or crime in the country,' said Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni following the group's departure. 'We all know the reasons they are leaving are not true. As the Cabinet, we express the view that they do not meet the criteria for refugee status, and there is no violence against farmers. Check that list and check how many of those people are actual farmers because the argument is that there is a genocide against farmers in South Africa.' READ NEXT: Ntshavheni says AfriForum admitted farm murder stats are accurate, Kriel accuses her of lying
eNCA
26-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
SA-US Relations Ramaphosa claims US visit was a success_
CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed his working visit to the United States as a success. In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa delves into detail the trip. He emphasised that the visit came at a time when SA-US relations have come under increasing strain, largely as a result of misinformation peddled by fringe groups in the two countries. READ: SA-US Relations | David vs Goliath? This included the false narrative about a so-called genocide, and an orchestrated campaign of violence against white farmers. He concluded by saying the visit established a basis for greater engagement and cooperation with the United States. One person who has first hand experience of the underlying tensions between the two countries is former Ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool.
eNCA
22-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
David vs Goliath?
AFP | Jim WATSON JOHANNESBURG - David took on Goliath at the White House, in what was, for South Africans, a highly anticipated showdown of biblical proportions. President Cyril Ramaphosa was the proverbial David and President Donald Trump, Goliath. Famously, Goliath is a large figure that was always expected to wipe the floor with the much smaller David, a lowly shepherd, only to be taken out by a careful and sophisticated use of the sling and a single stone. Is this what we witnessed in the Trump-Ramaphosa meeting on Wednesday? Looking back, there is quite a lot that came out of that meeting. We have now come to expect an ambush from the US President, and we're sadly starting to become desensitised to this type of behaviour. AFP | Jim WATSON However, there are a few questions that stand out, mainly about the delegation that was present in the briefing, put together by President Ramaphosa himself. Pro-golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, industrialist Johan Rupert, are among the recognisable civilian names in support of the politicians accompanying Ramaphosa. GNU partners, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen and Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau, were also joined by COSATU President Zingiswa Losi. Is this group the sling and stone that Ramaphosa needed? The SA-US relationship has been strained for some time now, with Trump claiming the South African government is doing very bad things to white Afrikaner farmers, including unsubstantiated claims of 'genocide'. GCIS On his return to the White House, Trump has cut HIV/AIDS funding, offered Afrikaners refugee status, and even threatened to slap some of South Africa's politicians with sanctions. Wednesday's high stakes meeting was a culmination of these tensions, and the stage was set out in something akin to a battleground. The Oval office was rife with the tension you might experience in a war setting, that had many a South African on the edge of their seats. Was Ramaphosa our David? Was the delegation the tools he needed or merely tools given to him? Could he wield the tools he had for a better future? GCIS GCIS One must commend the South African President for calm composure, and resilience under what must have been a nerve wrecking and tumultuous occasion. Ramaphosa is not just a president, but he is the president of a nation of majority black Africans, who just 31 years ago (and not 35 years) fought and gained their freedom, against the same group now readily accepting prancing around leveraging whatever agenda Trump has through his baseless and unfounded claims. 'Mandela taught us' was a line that rolled off Ramaphosa's tongue, and he managed to make it clear to Trump that South Africa strongly believes in its global moral position and will not back away from issues of moral infractions in the global community. South Africa is, on these matters, an authoritative voice, and South Africa is here to stay. From there, things seem to go quite sideways, and where we hoped to see David wield his sling and stone, we instead had a cinematic experience of a South Africa that seemed quite alien to its citizens. This, we now know was amateurish creativity designed to amplify the Trump genocidal tune and have the world dance at his feet, much like the jovial and uniquely South Africa dancing of Malema's chant of the historically (and constitutionally) justified struggle song. Rather than vehemently defend the right to our history and the sovereign liberty of our courts to decide whether such matters constitute hate speech or any other such bad things as Trump seems to parrot, Ramaphosa and Steenhuisen proceeded to unscrupulously detach themselves from Malema. The EFF leader has in his own right contributed tremendously to the South African political arena, however one chooses to judge that contribution. So, it is right to draw inspiration from Mandela, but not from the struggle movement that gave us the very same Mandela, and still fuels and drives many of our vehicles of self-expression and self-determination? Perhaps this is because we are a violent nation, and the wisdom of Mandela is necessary to tame and guide us away from our own violent tendencies. Is this what South Africans, the US and the world must understand from the utterances of COSATU president Zingiswa Losi. Without taking away from her attempt to fabricate unity among the members of the delegation, that display of diplomacy is in poor contrast to the defamation of South Africa's public image, calling the country a violent nation. To say we understand her sentiments in attempting to clearly indicate that the issue, is not about some hallucinated genocide, but rather an issue of crime – an infamous byproduct of inequality, unemployment, and poverty; this would be far too much leniency than she has given South Africa's government. GCIS GCIS But let's not throw the baby out with the bath water just yet. South Africa is now perfectly poised to fight crime on a scale hitherto unseen. Elon Musk shall save us and equip all our police structures with Starlink, and then there will be no more genocides or gang wars. Johann Rupert was only missing some tattered clothing and a bowl, in what was reminiscent of Oliver Twist's famous plea for more soup. It is yet unclear, however, how a satellite internet network is going to help us fight crime any more than conventional internet networks. Maybe this satellite internet network is going to give us premium access to such AI tools as Grok that can tell us exactly how the white farmers are being killed en masse, and perhaps even generate some documentaries for us that capture the perpetrators, and we shall be free to arrest at will, those even in contravention of our own constitutional edicts. 'When you have nothing to say, say nothing.' This is not a directive for one to continue to utter sounds and syllables against all evidence to the contrary, but perhaps all those hours in the open air of the golf course and one learns to speak the language of the trees and the grass, whispering a purer and higher form of nothing. AFP | Jim WATSON No one is saying that Afrikaners and white farmers should not have a voice and express what they feel is genuinely a concern for their social group. However, they are not unique in their fears about the criminal element in South Africa. All South Africans share various fears about their livelihood and position in the country. But it is hypocritical of them to not place the matter into the pertinent context. We are a young nation, still battling to find ourselves with the truly atrocious and violent war crimes by the Afrikaner minority of the National Party, still fresh in our collective minds. We are not, however, a violent nation. We are a recovering nation. The delegation failed, dismally, to leave this point unambiguously clear to the global community in what was a fantastically unique opportunity. Sadly, the sling came apart, the stone – a mere lump of sand – crumbled, and this David could not be the shepherd we really needed. By: Smangaliso Mkhuma
Eyewitness News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Unfair to compare treatment of black people during apartheid to alleged white genocide: Ramaphosa
JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa said it's unfair to compare the treatment of black people under the apartheid regime to what United States (US) President Donald Trump believes is happening to white Afrikaners in this era. Ramaphosa commented during a briefing with South African media following a bilateral meeting with Trump at the White House in Washington. ALSO READ: - Rupert on Afrikaner genocide claims: 'It's not only white farmers, it's across the board' - John Steenhuisen corrects Trump's 'white genocide' claims - US-SA relations: Trump, Ramaphosa, media tackle Afrikaner 'genocide' narrative During the meeting, Trump alleged that a white genocide is underway in South Africa, exclaiming that it's deliberately under-reported in the media. Although Ramaphosa rejected claims of widespread killings of white South Africans, he also emphasised that the situation cannot be equated to the systemic oppression of black people. 'We cannot equate what is alleged to be genocide to what we went through in the struggle, because people were killed because of the oppression that was taking place in our country. So, you cannot equate that.' RAMAPHOSA BELIEVES SA-US CHANNELS ARE NOW OPEN A pleased Ramaphosa believes channels between his country and the US are now open, after a dramatic showing in the Oval Office. Ramaphosa was welcomed into his Wednesday afternoon briefing with South African journalists by applause from officials and members of Cabinet, and gave details of talks and the lunch shared with Trump and his delegation. Ramaphosa said golf, trade, and investment opportunities formed part of the deliberations. Moreover, Minister of Trade and Industry Parks Tau confirmed that a trade and investment framework proposal was submitted. The document, which has a series of components, will look at areas to increase trade, with gas being one of the key commodities listed. On the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Tau said a collective approach will be adopted by the continent, which will be dealt with in detail on a different platform.
