South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has firmly rejected claims that white people are being persecuted in his country, describing such assertions as a “completely false narrative.” His comments, made in his weekly message to the nation on Monday, come in response to accusations from prominent figures such as former U.S. President Donald Trump, tech billionaire Elon Musk, and some white minority groups. These critics have alleged that the South African government is enabling violence against the white Afrikaner population, particularly through farm attacks and land reform policies.
Musk, in particular, has been vocal in his criticism, frequently accusing South Africa’s Black-led government of being anti-white. He repeated such claims last weekend in a post on social media, stating that some political figures in the country are “actively promoting white genocide.”
In his address, Ramaphosa urged South Africans not to allow foreign narratives to sow division or turn people against one another. He emphasized that the claim of targeted persecution of white people in South Africa was unfounded and encouraged the public to challenge this false narrative.
While Ramaphosa did not specifically mention Trump or Musk by name, his comments were clearly aimed at rebutting the claims they and others have made about racial discrimination against the white minority. Ramaphosa’s statement sought to emphasize unity and reject divisive rhetoric, particularly in light of the ongoing debates over land reform and historical injustices in South Africa.