A group of white South Africans gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria on Saturday to show support for former U.S. President Donald Trump and his assertions that they face racial discrimination under their country’s government.Holding placards with messages like “Thank God for President Trump,” the demonstrators voiced concerns over what they perceive as racially biased policies targeting the white minority. Many of the protesters were from the Afrikaner community, which Trump highlighted in a recent executive order that cut U.S. aid to South Africa’s Black-led government.
Trump’s order alleged that the South African government was actively marginalizing Afrikaners, the descendants of Dutch settlers, through a contentious land reform policy. The policy, aimed at redistributing land, has sparked fierce debate, with Trump referring to Afrikaner landowners as "racially disfavored."
However, South African officials have strongly rejected these claims, insisting that the new law is not based on race. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently addressed Parliament, reaffirming that no land had been seized under the policy and that "forced removals will never happen again" in a country still healing from the dispossession of Black communities under apartheid and colonial rule.
The Trump administration’s stance has intensified a long-standing national debate over land ownership in South Africa. While white South Africans make up only about 7% of the population, they still own the majority of the country’s farmland—a legacy of historical inequalities. The government argues that the law seeks to correct these imbalances fairly and in the public interest.
Protesters at the U.S. Embassy also took issue with broader affirmative action policies, such as Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), which have been in place since apartheid ended in 1994 to create more economic opportunities for Black South Africans. Critics, including some in the white community, claim these policies have led to exclusion rather than inclusivity.
Among those amplifying these concerns is billionaire Elon Musk, a South African-born tech entrepreneur and known Trump ally. Musk has repeatedly accused the South African government of being "anti-white," though some question whether his criticisms are motivated by business interests. His company, Starlink, was recently denied an operating license in South Africa for failing to meet local ownership requirements under BEE policies.
Despite racial tensions remaining a sensitive issue in South Africa, the country has largely avoided large-scale racial conflict since the end of apartheid. Its current government consists of a coalition of both Black-led and white-led political parties working together.
While Trump’s interventions have reignited debates over race, land, and policy in South Africa, the government remains firm in its stance that its reforms are about addressing historical injustices—not targeting any racial group.