Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says AfriForum has conceded to spreading false claims regarding farm murder statistics.
The minister said this was during an engagement the South African Police Service had with the Afrikaner civil rights group to clarify the allegations of white genocide with reference to farm murders.
Ntshavheni was speaking during a post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday morning in Pretoria, where she reiterated concerns coming from the national executive about misinformation campaigns by right-wing groups and their allies.
Police investigating possible violations of the law
She then went on to mention that law enforcement agencies are investigating violations that these organisations could have committed against South African laws.
“To prevent further misinformation, the South African Police Service met with AfriForum to clarify the allegations of white genocide with reference to farm murders. It is common knowledge that some of the farm murders are committed by people known to the farmers, including family members,” she said.
Ntshavheni went on to correct statistics punted by right-wing groups, claiming that approximately 72 000 white farmers had signed up to relocate to the USA in response to the invitation from the US president.
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“According to data from StatsSA, South Africa only has 41 122 farming units, and therefore commercial white farmers are not exceeding this number,” she reiterated.
Trade union Solidarity and AfriForum last month embarked on a trip to the US, where they met with top representatives of the government. The groups claim to have visited the US to show appreciation to the administration of President Donald Trump for their support regarding the Land Expropriation Bill, which they have pushed back against.
Speaking about AfriForum’s complaint about EFF leader Julius Malema chanting “Kill the Boer” during a Human Rights Day Commemoration in Sharpeville last week, Ntshavheni emphasised that the courts had already ruled on the matter.
“South Africans will recall that the matter of the singing of revolutionary songs which are alleged to incite violence was taken to court, and the judgment said it has its context; it is not inflammatory,” she said.
AfriForum has appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa to denounce the anti-apartheid chant, saying it makes white people the target of serious crimes.
A clip of Malema made the rounds on social media and even caught the attention of X owner Elon Musk, who dubbed the EFF leader’s utterances to be genocidal. In another post on X, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented that “Kill the Boer is a chant that incites violence. South Africa’s leaders and politicians must take action to protect Afrikaner and other disfavoured minorities.”
