President Donald Trump has been watching Fox News again.
After a report by Tucker Carlson, the president said on Twitter that he has asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to investigate “large scale killing of farmers” in South Africa. He even tagged Carlson and Fox News in the tweet. Caveat: Most experts agree there are no widespread farmer murders in South Africa.
I have asked Secretary of State @SecPompeo to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers. “South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers.” @TuckerCarlson @FoxNews
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 23, 2018
Since international affairs now takes place on Twitter, the South African government responded with a tweet of its own, rejecting Trump’s “narrow perception” and promising land reform in an “inclusive manner.”
South Africa totally rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past. #landexpropriation @realDonaldTrump @PresidencyZA
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) August 23, 2018
South Africa will speed up the pace of land reform in a careful and inclusive manner that does not divide our nation. #landexpropriation @realDonaldTrump @PresidencyZA
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) August 23, 2018
Here’s more context:
- Are there widespread murders of farmers? As The New York Times bluntly puts it, “There is no evidence of this.” However, it is true that the South African government is considering seizing lands owned by white farmers. The controversial decision comes in the aftermath of apartheid and is an attempt to balance land ownership in the wake of colonialism and apartheid-era land seizures by white South Africans.
- The demographics: According to official figures, white residents make up just 9% of the population, but they own 72% of the land, while black South Africans make up 79% of the population and directly own less than 15% of the country’s land.
- The process: While South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is interested in working to address land ownership inequality, despite what the U.S. president tweeted, “farm seizures and expropriations” have not taken place yet.
- More dirty details: A far-right white-led South African group called AfriForum has reportedly teamed up with U.S. conservatives like Ann Coulter and Alex Jones to spread disinformation and is reportedly claiming victory over Trump’s tweet—a triumph for their U.S. lobbying efforts.
Meanwhile, white nationalists in the U.S. are thrilled by Trump’s tweet.
https://twitter.com/_grendan/status/1032464839619305474?s=21
Patrick Gaspard, a former ambassador to South Africa, was less impressed with Trump’s tweet, calling the claim a “disproven racial myth.”
The President of the US needs political distractions to turn our gaze away from his criminal cabal, and so he’s attacking South Africa with the disproven racial myth of “large scale killings of farmers”
This man has never visited the continent and has no discernible Africa policy— Patrick Gaspard (@patrickgaspard) August 23, 2018
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