Trump alleges 'genocide' in South Africa. At an agricultural fair, even
Afrikaner farmers scoff
[May 20, 2025]
BOTHAVILLE, South Africa (AP) — Days before South Africa's president
meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House this week,
Afrikaner farmers at the center of an extraordinary new U.S. refugee
policy roamed a memorial to farm attacks in their country's agricultural
heartland, some touching the names of the dead — both Black and white.
Here in Bothaville, where thousands of farmers gathered for a lively
agricultural fair with everything from grains to guns on display, even
some conservative white Afrikaner groups debunked the Trump
administration's “genocide” and land seizure claims that led it to cut
all financial aid to South Africa.
The bustling scene was business as usual, with milkshakes and burgers
and tow-headed children pulled in wagons.
The late President Nelson Mandela — South Africa's first Black leader —
stood in Bothaville over a quarter-century ago and acknowledged the
increasing violent attacks on farmers in the first years following the
decades-long racial system of apartheid. “But the complex problem of
crime on our farms, as elsewhere, demand long-term solutions,” he said.
Some at the agricultural fair said fleeing the country isn't one of
them.
“I really hope that during the upcoming visit to Washington, (President
Cyril Ramaphosa) is going to be able to put the facts before his
counterpart and to demonstrate that there is no mass expropriation of
land taking place in South Africa, and there is no genocide taking
place," John Steenhuisen, minister of agriculture, told The Associated
Press. He will be part of the delegation for Wednesday's meeting.
The minority white Afrikaner community is in the spotlight after the
U.S. granted refugee status to at least 49 of them claiming to flee
racial and violent persecution and widespread seizures of white-owned
land — despite evidence that such claims are untrue.
While many at the agricultural fair raised serious concerns about the
safety of farmers and farm workers, others were quick to point out that
crime targeted both Black and white farmers and farm workers, as shown
by South Africa's crime statistics.
Thobani Ntonga, a Black farmer from Eastern Cape province, told the AP
he had been attacked on his farm by criminals and almost kidnapped but a
Black neighbor intervened.
“Crime affects both Black and white. ... It’s an issue of
vulnerability," he said. “Farmers are separated from your general
public. We’re not near towns, we are in the rural areas. And I think
it’s exactly that. So, perpetrators, they thrive on that, on the fact
that farms are isolated."
Other farmers echoed his thoughts and called for more resources and
policing.
“Crime especially hits small-scale farmers worse because they don’t have
resources for private security,” said Afrikaner farmer Willem de
Chavonnes Vrugt. He and other farmers wondered why they would leave the
land where they have been rooted for decades.
Ramaphosa, himself a cattle farmer, also visited the agricultural fair
for the first time in about 20 years — to buy equipment but also do
outreach as many in South Africa puzzle over the Trump administration's
focus on their country.
“We must not run away from our problems,” the president said during his
visit. “When you run away, you’re a coward.”
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Farmers visit the Nampo agricultural fair, one of the largest in the
southern hemisphere, near Bothaville, South Africa, May 15, 2025.
(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
Applying to be a refugee
The fast-tracking of the Afrikaners' refugee applications has raised
questions about a system where many seeking asylum in the U.S. can
languish for years, waiting.
The State Department has not made details of the process public, but
one person who has applied to be resettled told the AP the online
application process was “rigorous.”
Katia Beeden, a member of an advocacy group established to assist
white South Africans seeking resettlement, said applicants have to
go through at least three online interviews and answer questions
about their health and criminal background.
They are also required to submit information or proof of being
persecuted in South Africa, she said. She said she has been robbed
in her house, with robbers locking her in her bedroom.
“They’ve already warned that you can’t lie or hide anything from
them. So it’s quite a thorough process and not everyone is
guaranteed,” she said.
By the numbers
Violent crime is rife in South Africa, but experts say the vast
majority of victims are Black and poor. Police statistics show that
up to 75 people are killed daily across the country.
Afrikaner agriculture union TLU SA says it believes farmers are more
susceptible to such attacks because of their isolation.
Twelve murders occurred on farms in 2024, police statistics show.
One of those killed was a farmer. The rest were farm workers, people
staying on farms and a security guard. The data don't reflect the
victims' race.
Overall across South Africa last year, 6,953 people were killed.
Government data also show that white farmers own the vast majority
of South Africa's farmland — 80% of it, according to the 2017 census
of commercial agriculture, which recorded over 40,000 white farmers.
That data, however, only reflects farmers who have revenue of
$55,396 a year, which excludes many small-scale farmers, the
majority of them Black.
Overall, the white minority — just 7% of the population is white —
still owns the vast majority of the land in South Africa, which the
World Bank has called “the most unequal country in the world.”
According to the 2017 government land audit, white South Africans
hold about 72% of individually owned land — while Black South
Africans own 15%.
___
Associated Press writer Michelle Gumede in Johannesburg contributed
to this report.
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