State Department Accuses South African Politicians of Endangering Afrikaners After Two Violent Farm Attacks Near Johannesburg
In comments to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson ties the attacks to 'race-based' incitement. No public figure has said the attacks were racially motivated, and police had not responded.
The State Department has sharply criticized South Africa after two attacks on white farmers, Fox News Digital reports in an exclusive.
The attacks. Opposition lawmaker Ian Cameron, who chairs parliament's police committee, said Donovan Marx, 50, was attacked on his farm about 80 miles from Johannesburg and reportedly shot, stabbed and mutilated. Freedom Front Plus leader Corné Mulder said Marx is fighting for his life in hospital. Earlier this month in the same North West Province, Hannetjie van Zyl, 55, was reportedly beaten to death with an iron bar while opening a gate. Vehicles and belongings were taken in both cases.
The U.S. response. A State Department spokesperson said "the lives and property of Afrikaners have been endangered by politicians who incite race-based violence against them." The spokesperson said Washington asked senior officials to condemn the singing of "Kill the Farmer! Kill the Boer!", and that President Trump wants rural crime made a priority crime and alternatives to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment ownership rules. Of the lack of a meaningful response, the spokesperson said it shows Pretoria "does not want a constructive relationship with the United States."
The South African side. Mulder blamed President Cyril Ramaphosa for not stopping the song. Ramaphosa has said he cannot, because the country's highest court ruled the lyrics are not hate speech. U.S. Ambassador Brent Bozell III said last month the president could ban it anyway. Fox says it asked the South African government for comment and was referred to police, who did not immediately respond.
The refugee program. Nearly 13,000 South African refugees, mostly Afrikaners, have been flown to the U.S. in fiscal 2026, with 17,500 more expected in fiscal 2027.
Note for readers: Fox points out no public figure has said these two attacks were racially motivated, and the claims about motive and incitement are those of the State Department and opposition politicians.