The FW de Klerk Foundation has called on all South Africans to unite in refuting recent false statements made by US President Donald Trump and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, alleging that Afrikaners are being “killed and slaughtered” and that their land and farms are being “illegally confiscated.”
The foundation stated that the claims are untrue, dangerous, and not supported by any credible data.
The foundation further said, according to AFP Fact Check and Africa Check, approximately 50 to 60 people of all races are murdered on farms each year, compared to more than 19 000 homicides nationwide in nine months.
“While farm attacks remain a serious criminal concern that demands firm policing and justice, they are not racially motivated nor part of a state-directed campaign.
“The South African government has correctly described Trump’s statements as ‘not substantiated by fact,’ and President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated that white South Africans enjoy some of the highest living standards in the country, decades after apartheid’s end,” the foundation stated.
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‘Feeding racial fear’
Executive director of the FW de Klerk Foundation, Christo van der Rheede, said South Africa’s challenges are real, but genocide is not one of them.
“The real struggle is against corruption, violent crime and inequality issues that hurt black, white and brown South Africans alike. Instead of feeding racial fear, we must stand together in defence of truth and our shared constitutional values,” he said.
The foundation emphasised that under Section 1 of the Constitution, South Africa is founded on human dignity, equality, non-racialism, non-sexism and the rule of law. The narrative of racial persecution fundamentally contradicts these founding values and distorts the image of a nation that overcame division through reconciliation.
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“Equally troubling is the United States’ announced boycott of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, based on these discredited claims. This decision undermines global cooperation and damages the US’s own strategic and economic interests.
“The United States remains one of South Africa’s largest trading partners, with over $26 billion in two-way trade in 2024. A boycott risks alienating South Africans, deepening mistrust and handing influence in Africa to powers such as China and Russia,” the foundation said.
Van der Rheede added that punishing a nation for the misdeeds of a few, or for misinformation spread on social media, is unjust and short-sighted.
“South Africans are a peace-loving, forgiving people who built democracy on the foundations of dialogue and dignity. The goodwill that unites us must never be undermined by falsehoods from abroad,” he said.
The FW de Klerk Foundation called on all South Africans to reject divisive rhetoric and reaffirm their commitment to constitutional democracy.
“The foundation further urges South Africa’s new government of national unity to stay focused on its historic task: restoring integrity, advancing economic growth and creating a society that is safe, prosperous and just for all who live in it.”
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