Overview

• President Trump presented videos and images in a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa alleging a 'white genocide,' which were later proven to be misrepresented or unrelated to South Africa.
• A key image Trump used, showing humanitarian workers handling body bags, was confirmed to be from conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, not South Africa.
• South African Police Minister Senzo Mchunu clarified that white crosses shown in the video were part of a 2020 protest memorial for all farmers killed over decades, not burial sites for white farmers.
• Official South African crime data shows that farm murders constitute a very small fraction of overall homicides, with only six farm killings recorded in early 2025, contradicting claims of systematic targeting.
• The UN and multiple fact-checking agencies have deemed the term 'genocide' inappropriate and unfounded, further straining U.S.–South Africa relations amid ongoing disputes over land reform and U.S. aid cuts.