South Africa’s Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has rejected claims of genocide against white farmers, saying newly released crime statistics do not support the narrative recently raised by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Speaking on Friday, Mchunu cited data showing that of the six people killed on farms between January and March 2025, five were Black South Africans and only one was white. The victims included two farm owners, two employees, one manager — all Black — and a single white resident living on a farm.
This follows Trump’s extraordinary remarks during a live broadcast meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday. Trump claimed that white farmers were being “persecuted” and subjected to “genocide”, allegations that have been widely discredited by experts and legal rulings.
In response, Mchunu explained that for the first time, South Africa’s crime statistics had been disaggregated by race due to the “unbalanced” and “distorted” reporting of farm murders.
“The history of farm murders in the country has always been distorted,” Mchunu said. “We have no respect for the genocide story. It is totally unfounded and unsubstantiated.”
During the final quarter of 2024, crime records showed 12 farm murders — only one victim, a farm owner, was white.
In February, a South African judge also rejected the genocide narrative in a ruling involving a donation to a white nationalist group, describing the claim as “clearly imagined” and without merit.
Trump’s recent comments have reignited attention from right-wing groups abroad. During the White House meeting, he confronted Ramaphosa with videos and images intended to support the genocide claim. However, an investigation by the BBC found multiple inaccuracies and misleading content in the materials presented.
The relationship between the two nations has been strained during Trump’s term. In addition to granting asylum to nearly 60 Afrikaners — descendants of early Dutch settlers — citing “racial discrimination”, the former U.S. president has also reduced aid to South Africa and expelled its ambassador.
Mchunu also rejected Trump’s assertion that the South African government is actively seizing land from white farmers. While President Ramaphosa did sign a controversial law earlier this year allowing land expropriation without compensation under certain conditions, the government insists that no property has yet been seized.
Land reform remains a deeply sensitive issue in South Africa. Despite the end of apartheid over three decades ago, the white minority still controls a disproportionate share of the country’s land and wealth.
While Mchunu acknowledged that crime remains a major challenge, he stressed that its effects cut across all communities, regardless of race.
