Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has strongly criticised United States President Donald Trump after Trump used video clips of the South African politician to justify widely discredited claims of a so-called white genocide in South Africa.
The controversy erupted following a meeting between South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and Trump in Washington, D.C., where the South African government sought to ease ongoing diplomatic strains with the United States.
During the meeting, Trump reportedly produced a television screen and played footage of Malema speaking in parliament and at political rallies, using the material to argue—without credible evidence—that white South Africans were under violent threat.
Although President Ramaphosa responded calmly and dismissed the claims, Malema, who was not present at the talks, took to social media to express his outrage. He accused Trump and his allies of using misleading visuals and baseless rhetoric to promote a false narrative.
Reacting on social media, Malema mocked what he described as “old men gathered in Washington gossiping” about him. He asserted that “no significant amount of intelligent evidence” had been presented to substantiate the claim of a white genocide in South Africa.
Malema also reaffirmed his party’s uncompromising position on land reform, insisting there would be no retreat from the agenda of land expropriation without compensation—one of the EFF’s central political platforms.
Trump and several figures from his political circle have in recent years repeatedly advanced the notion that white South Africans are being systematically targeted, often sharing videos of Malema to bolster their position. These claims have been widely debunked by analysts, human rights organisations, and members of the South African government.
President Ramaphosa has consistently maintained that South Africa’s crime problem is not racially targeted but reflects broader social and economic challenges. This view was echoed by billionaire businessman Johan Rupert, who also dismissed the genocide narrative as unfounded.