On 21 May 2025, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C.
The Background
Since taking office in 2016, Donald Trump has regularly voiced concerns over farm attacks in South Africa, alleging that white Afrikaans farmers are victims of targeted violence and land expropriation. He even claimed a form of genocide was underway and criticised the South African government’s land reform policies. Some South African far-right voices celebrated his remarks, calling for a hands-on intervention. They ended up getting more than they bargained for when Trump’s recent actions brought about economic consequences: tariffs, reduced aid, and, most notably, asylum granted to a first batch of 59 Afrikaans farmers, many of whom not only owned their own land, but ran their own businesses as well.
This sparked global outrage and confusion. How could Trump offer asylum to seemingly well-off foreigners while actively seeking to deport vulnerable migrants who are already in the U.S.? The double standard was glaring.
The White House Encounter
During their meeting at the White House, Trump attempted to confront Ramaphosa with a curated video presentation that purported to show evidence of farmer persecution. However, the South African delegation, which included notable figures such as professional golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, as well as billionaire Johann Rupert, calmly but firmly pushed back against this one-sided narrative. They clarified that while farm attacks are real and troubling, they reflect South Africa’s broader crime epidemic, not a racially targeted genocide.
They emphasised that the international narrative, shaped by biased media and political spin, distorts the reality on the ground. Although the fruits of this meeting are yet to be seen, it is clear that Trump’s ambush and fear-mongering tactics did not have their desired effect.
A Deeper Concern
The real issue lies not in denying the fears and pain of one group, but in the selective attention it receives. While farm and rural-dwelling safety is vital, millions of South Africans—black, coloured, white, and other—live daily in fear of crime, poverty, and inequality. Gender-based violence continues to plague our nation. Unemployment and substance abuse devastate families. And yet, these systemic injustices receive far less global attention.
The South African philosophy of Ubuntu, which means “I am because we are,” reminds us of our shared humanity. In the spirit of Ubuntu, our pain is interconnected; we cannot isolate one group’s suffering from another’s. Unity requires us to care about all South Africans—not just those who look or live like us.
The Bible echoes this call in Galatians 3:28 (NIV): “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” True justice and transformation begin when we stop viewing our struggles through narrow lenses and start advocating for one another as one body.
Moving Forward
The White House meeting revealed much about global politics and selective outrage, but it also reminded us of what South Africa truly needs: solidarity. If we could channel the same energy used to amplify one community’s pain into a collective outcry for justice, we might become a nation truly worthy of healing and transformation.
Let us choose unity, not just in word, but in action. Let us live out Ubuntu and the Gospel’s call for oneness, and work together toward a safe, just and inclusive future for all.
