South Africa Police Minister Rebuts Trump’s Claims of Farmer Genocide

South Africa’s Police Minister Senzo Mchunu criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for misrepresenting a video during a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Mchunu asserted that Trump falsely claimed the video showed burial sites for white farmers, emphasizing that the crosses depicted were a memorial, not graves. He condemned Trump’s narrative of genocide against white farmers as factually incorrect and said it misrepresents the reality of crime in South Africa.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s Police Minister, Senzo Mchunu, pushed back on claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the alleged existence of burial sites for white farmers in his country. During a meeting in the Oval Office with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump showed a video purporting to depict burial sites of over 1,000 white farmers, asserting that the clips showed grim realities.

However, Mchunu contended that Trump’s representations were misleading. The clips featured lines of white crosses along a rural road, which Mchunu clarified were erected as a temporary memorial for an unrelated protest in 2020, following the murder of a white couple on their farm. “These are not graves, and they do not represent graves,” Mchunu asserted emphatically.

Mchunu’s accusations coincided with Trump’s ongoing narrative of a supposed genocide against white farmers in South Africa. The minister referred to these claims as part of Trump’s “genocide story,” stating that such allegations twist facts to create a false representation of crime in the country. Mchunu expressed grave concern over the implications of spreading misinformation, emphasizing that both the white and Black farming communities face violence.

During the first quarter of this year, South Africa saw over 5,700 homicides, with a meager six occurring on farms. Mchunu reported that only one of these victims was white, underlining the small scale of farm-related homicides compared to overall crime figures.

Lourens Bosman, a former lawmaker, confirmed that he participated in the procession depicted in the video and asserted that the crosses symbolized commemoration for fallen farmers regardless of their race over the past decades. The South African government has continuously denied Trump’s allegations, claiming they stem from misinformation and misunderstandings about the nation’s situation.

Earlier this week, President Ramaphosa sought to discuss these matters with Trump in a bid to repair relations and dispel myths about his country. This follows Trump’s earlier executive order in February which terminated U.S. financial aid to South Africa, while accusing the nation of promoting violence against minority white farmers and seizing their land. The order also condemned South Africa’s support for Palestine in international disputes involving Israel.

The remarks from South African officials highlight significant tensions arising from President Trump’s allegations regarding violence and genocide against white farmers in South Africa. Minister Mchunu’s clarifications about the video shown in the Oval Office reveal a commitment to correct misinformation and advocate for the reality of violent crime in South Africa. The ongoing dialogue between the countries seeks to enhance relations amid misunderstandings.

Original Source: apnews.com