Ramaphosa challenges false claims of Afrikaner genocide in SA

President Cyril Ramaphosa has challenged false claims of genocide in South Africa during his annual reconciliation address, saying the country’s detractors are deliberately overlooking scenes of unity and social cohesion.

Speaking at Nquthu in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday, Ramaphosa repeatedly highlighted the attendance of the Afrikaner cultural groups at the event, saying 2025’s commemoration was one of the best displays of a mix of cultures.

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After a year of South Africa coming under increasing attack of a misinformation campaign from the United States (US) that Afrikaners are being persecuted in South Africa, Ramaphosa has appealed for a combined commemoration in future, saying it would make the day more meaningful.

One-hundred-and-eighty years since 3,000 warriors fell in a battle for their ancestral land, Ramaphosa said Reconciliation Day presented the opportunity to confront the past and acknowledge the complexity of shared history while committing to building a peaceful future.

He made special mention of the presence of Afrikaner cultural groups at the event under the leadership of Carel Boshoff - the son of the former founder of the Afrikaner enclave Orania.

“Some say there’s a genocide that is under way in our country. Professor Carel Boshoff’s presence here talks to the absence of genocide. If there was genocide, he would not have come here.”

Ramaphosa said that there are those who are deliberately trying to paint a false picture of social cohesion and ignoring how younger generations are embracing their diversity.

“They don’t want to play all the social media clips we are seeing of young Afrikaners in veldskoene dancing to amapiano and white teenagers speaking fluent isiZulu with their friends.”

He’s once again appealed to all community groups to attend the National Dialogue to forge reconciliation.