What's the truth about South Africa's 'genocide' of white farmers? – The Spectator

Geoff Hill

Is a crime against humanity at risk of unfolding in South Africa? Elon Musk, the Pretoria-born billionaire who owns X (Twitter) and Tesla, fears that there might be. Earlier this year, he wrote that he’d heard of calls for ‘a genocide of white people’ in his former homeland. Musk isn’t alone in his concerns. Steve Hofmeyr, a South African singer with a cult following, thinks that the ‘g-word’ is an appropriate way to describe what is unfolding: ‘If you think that the slaughter of South African farmers is not genocide enough, ask them about their land, language, religion, education, universities, heritage, monuments, safety, dignity and the race-based regulations imposed upon them and their children’. Donald Trump voiced a similar concern when he was in the White House. In a tweet that caused a diplomatic bust-up between South Africa and the United States in 2018, Trump referred to the ‘large-scale killing of farmers’. The government in Pretoria labelled his claim ridiculous, but was Trump right about what is unfolding?
In South Africa, it’s a delicate topic. What is beyond doubt is that white farmers, who often live on large properties far from their neighbours or the nearest town, are seen by some as easy targets.
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Geoff Hill is an author and journalist from Zimbabwe. His book of short stories, Pharaoh’s Bath, will be published later this year.
Geoff Hill

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