Watan-In a move that shocked the Arab world, U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to the White House on Wednesday, amid an unprecedented diplomatic rift caused by an executive order Trump issued in February. The order accused the South African government of committing “racial genocide” against white citizens, authorized the acceptance of Afrikaners as refugees, and suspended aid while expelling South Africa’s ambassador from Washington.
According to a detailed investigation by The Intercept, the roots of this escalation date back to 2018, when a right-wing group called AfriForum launched a media campaign in the U.S., claiming that white farmers in South Africa were being murdered and persecuted on racial grounds. The campaign resonated strongly with American right-wing circles.
In August of the same year, Trump tweeted that he had asked the State Department to investigate “land seizures and killings of farmers,” giving those allegations major political traction. But as the report reveals, the campaign was largely a domestic political tool aimed at reviving a victim narrative among Afrikaner whites who had lost political dominance since the end of apartheid in 1994.
“The Great Tsek”: Backlash and Satire Follow Trump’s Afrikaner Refugee Decision
Although Afrikaner elites continue to dominate economically, the rise of the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party led by Julius Malema—and growing calls for land redistribution—have intensified social tensions. Organizations like AfriForum exploited these divisions for both local and international right-wing agendas, framing white South Africans as oppressed minorities.
Trump’s sudden decision to offer them refugee status was widely mocked in South Africa. Activists dubbed the Afrikaner departure “The Great Tsek”—a satirical play on the 19th-century “Great Trek” of Dutch settlers, using the slang “tsek” (meaning “get lost”).
AfriForum quickly backtracked after the order was issued, holding a press conference where its president Kallie Kriel denied ever requesting asylum and insisted that Afrikaners are committed to staying in South Africa—an attempt to contain public backlash.
But the damage was already done. Even after some of the executive measures were rolled back, the South African government stood its ground, rejecting the genocide narrative and calling it baseless. Officials argued the claims ignored the historical context of inequality the government is trying to address.
South Africa
Satire as Resistance: South Africans Unite Against “White Genocide” Narrative
Meanwhile, ordinary South Africans responded with biting satire. Viral clips under the title “Terrible Things Happening” mocked the narrative, showing white citizens sipping drinks in luxury villas while being waited on by Black staff.
While comedic, the crisis revealed—as The Intercept noted—that the campaign was not only domestically motivated but also served as international leverage. It coincided with South Africa’s genocide lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice and regulatory hurdles faced by Elon Musk’s Starlink project, criticized for not aligning with Black economic empowerment policies.
Despite South Africa’s ongoing political and economic struggles—including waning support for the ruling African National Congress—the “white genocide” campaign became an unexpected moment of national unity, with the majority rejecting a reversed colonial victimhood narrative.
