United States (US) President Donald Trump has called out South Africa again just days after mentioning the hosts of the G20 Summit at an event in Miami.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Friday night to post another message about the US’ involvement in Johannesburg later this month.
Trump’s vice president JD Vance was due to attend the summit but the social media post suggests that may not be a forgone conclusion.
The post included support for the Afrikaans population, reiterating Trump’s belief that the group were facing persecution.
“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa. Afrikaners (people who are descended from Dutch settlers, and also French and German immigrants) are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.
“No US government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue. I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida,” the president posted.
Dirco’s US stance
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) last week reiterated that Trump’s stance on South Africa was concerning and based on distorted information.
“The claim of a ‘white genocide’ in South Africa is widely discredited and unsupported by reliable evidence,” stated Dirco spokesperson Crispin Phiri.
“South Africa values its strategic partnership with the US and remains committed to collaborating on issues of mutual concern through dialogue and a shared respect for international law and national sovereignty,” he added.
Dirco were asked if any information on US diplomat attendance had been relayed to the department and that response will be added if forthcoming.
Farm attacks
Dirco and The Presidency have both stated previously that farm attacks are not targeted specifically at white citizens, but are the result of a wider crime issue in the country.
In the last week of October, AfriForum reported four farm incidents in the space of four days.
In Heidelberg, a man was shot and his wife severely beaten on their farm by five armed suspects on 28 October. Both were treated in hospital and no suspects had been arrested.
A man was robbed at gunpoint on his farm near Cullinan on 29 October, while a woman was left in coma after she and her husband were attacked on their property near Lanseria on 30 October.
The following day, a farm worker was shot dead and his wife gang-raped in a stock-theft incident near Heilbron in the Free State.
“Thirteen suspects were later arrested and some of the sheep, a firearm, household items and a vehicle were recovered,” AfriForum stated.
Crime statistics for the period between January and March stated that 5 727 murders and 10 688 rapes were reported in that three month period — 63 and 118 per day, respectively.
NOW READ: ‘They shouldn’t even be in the Gs anymore’: Trump takes fresh shots at SA over G20
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