South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday rejected claims that white South Africans—particularly Afrikaner farmers—are being persecuted, calling it a “completely false narrative.” His comments were a direct response to President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and conservative leaders in the U.S., who have raised alarms over violent attacks on white farmers and government policies targeting land ownership.

Billionaire Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa, has been one of the loudest voices decrying what he describes as state-sanctioned hostility toward Afrikaners. Over the weekend, Musk repeated his warning about what he calls “white genocide” in South Africa, highlighting a recent political rally where Black leaders sang a song calling for the killing of white farmers.

“Very few people know that there is a major political party in South Africa that is actively promoting white genocide,” Musk wrote on X, linking to a video of the event.

The concerns voiced by Musk, Trump, and others have translated into direct U.S. policy action. Last month, President Trump issued an executive order cutting U.S. funding to South Africa over its treatment of white minorities, while offering Afrikaners refugee status in America.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed these concerns, calling out the song sung by members of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party that includes the lyrics “Kill the Boer, the farmer.”

“This chant incites violence,” Rubio wrote Monday night. “South Africa’s leaders must take action to protect Afrikaners and other disfavored minorities. The United States is proud to offer protection to those facing this ongoing threat.”

The EFF, which is the fourth-largest political party in South Africa, has a history of inflaming racial tensions and advocating for radical policies, including land expropriation without compensation. While its leaders claim the song is “historic” and symbolic, Afrikaner advocacy groups have argued that it contributes to a dangerous climate of violence against white farmers.

The South African government has downplayed concerns over white farmers being targeted, insisting that they are merely victims of general crime in the country, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world.

However, farm security groups and Afrikaner organizations say the government is deliberately misrepresenting the numbers. Official police statistics recorded just one farm murder between October and December of last year, yet Afrikaner advocacy groups documented eight in the same period—raising questions about the accuracy of government figures.

South Africa’s government has been steadily pushing land redistribution policies, which many Afrikaners see as an attempt to strip them of their land without due process. While Ramaphosa claims his administration is acting fairly, Trump’s executive order reflects a growing recognition in the U.S. that white farmers are being placed in an increasingly vulnerable position.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)