US President Donald Trump has come under fire from South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party for a social media post in which he reiterated debunked allegations of a “white genocide” in South Africa and asked if the nation should host the next G20 summit.
In a post shared on Truth Social, Trump alleged that white farmers in South Africa were being targeted and killed and that farmland was being forcibly confiscated.
“Is this where we want to be for the G20? I don’t think so!” he wrote, hinting at boycotting the G20 leaders’ summit scheduled to take place in South Africa this November.
Trump also included video clips of EFF leader Julius Malema, who was shown speaking about land occupation and revolutionary struggle.
The EFF, a radical left-wing opposition party, responded angrily on Saturday, accusing Trump of using them as a scapegoat to avoid attending the summit amid global criticism of his recent tariff decisions.
“It is clear that he fears facing his counterparts following his humiliating tariff stunt,” the EFF said in a statement, accusing Trump of committing “economic genocide” through protectionist policies.
The EFF, which secured 10 per cent of the vote in last year’s general elections, advocates for radical economic reform, including the nationalisation of mines and banks and the expropriation of land without compensation.
However, the party insists these goals must be pursued through constitutional processes.
Land reform remains a contentious issue in South Africa three decades after apartheid. Although white South Africans make up a small portion of the population, they still own more than 70 per cent of commercial farmland. The government has repeatedly stated it has no policy of land seizure, and no farms have been confiscated.
Trump’s rhetoric mirrors talking points often used by far-right groups abroad, despite lacking evidence. His repeated allegations of “white genocide” in South Africa have drawn criticism in the past and further strained diplomatic relations between Washington and Pretoria during his time in office.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesman brushed off Trump’s G20 comments, saying, “We were no longer expecting him to attend in any case.”
Earlier this year, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to attend the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in South Africa, claiming the agenda was “anti-American.”
