Trump’s stance against South Africa is not just about white farmers. It’s also about Hamas and Iran

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim this week that there is an unreported "genocide" happening against white farmers in South Africa was his harshest accusation yet against a country he moved to punish over a range of issues soon after returning to office.

Trump’s criticism has focused mostly on his allegations that South Africa’s government is fueling anti-white racism in the majority Black country, leading to the killing of white farmers. That has been denied by the South African government.

But Trump has also strongly criticized South Africa’s foreign policy, and especially its decision to take Israel to the United Nations’ top court and accuse it of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Trump has cited that case against a U.S. ally as an example of what he referred to as a larger anti-American position from South Africa. The U.S. president has now accused South Africa, once a key partner in Africa, of the same crime of genocide.

South Africa launched its highly contentious genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in early 2024, putting a developing nation that’s not a diplomatic heavyweight at the forefront of the pro-Palestinian movement at an especially divisive time. South Africa’s decision caused tensions with the U.S. under the Biden administration and other Western countries, which rejected the accusation that Israel was committing genocide.

But Trump’s reaction has been much stronger, citing the case against Israel in an executive order on Feb. 7 that sanctioned South Africa and stopped all U.S. aid and assistance. The order said South Africa had taken "aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies" and the case showed its support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The U.S. government under Trump has also cracked down on pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel protests at home.

South Africa has long been a supporter of the Palestinian people and a critic of Israel. But while the government has attempted to draw a line between that and any support for Hamas, the distinctions have become blurred, like when the grandson of former South African President Nelson Mandela hosted Hamas officials on a visit to South Africa in 2023.

Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., the European Union, the U.K. and others.

Trump’s executive order also accused South Africa of strengthening its ties with Iran through commercial, military and nuclear arrangements. South Africa holds diplomatic ties with Iran but said it does not have any agreements with Iran over nuclear weapons, though it is allowing Iran to bid, alongside other countries, for a commercial contract to build a nuclear reactor to provide electricity.

South Africa’s Institute for Security Studies, a nonprofit research institute, said that Trump was “overreacting” to South Africa’s relationship with Iran, but South Africa "also shouldn't be surprised if they are judged by the company they keep."

The U.S. has decided to effectively boycott South Africa’s presidency of the Group of 20 developed and developing nations this year, the first time an African nation has held the rotating presidency.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped a G20 foreign ministers meeting in Johannesburg in February, saying South Africa’s theme of "solidarity, equality and sustainability" was effectively DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and climate change and he wouldn’t waste American taxpayer money on it. The Trump administration has moved to dismantle DEI programs in the U.S.

Shortly after Rubio skipped the meeting, the Trump administration suspended all cooperation with South Africa related to its hosting of G20 events, according to a U.S. official.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said the decision was because Trump does not support South Africa’s G20 agenda. The official said the move would not affect the U.S.’s presidency of the G20 next year.

The rebuff by the U.S. will likely undermine South Africa’s efforts to make progress on issues it has prioritized for its presidency.

The Trump administration brought more than 50 white South Africans to the U.S. this week as refugees, saying they are members of the minority Afrikaner group and are being persecuted by their Black-led government and exposed to race-based violence.

South Africa says it condemns the relatively small number of killings of white farmers, but the cause is being mischaracterized and they are a result of its problems with violent crime and not racially motivated.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has not criticized Trump directly but said the U.S. president is being fed false information by some Afrikaner lobby groups in South Africa and some conservative commentators in the U.S. who have elevated the issue.

Ramaphosa’s office said he will meet with Trump at the White House next week in an attempt to “reset” the countries’ relationship.