In South Africa, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has refuted claims of a “white genocide,” labeling the narrative as “totally unfounded and unsubstantiated.” Mchunu’s statement followed a meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and then US President Donald Trump, during which a video depicting a South African road lined with 500 white crosses was shown. Trump expressed shock, assuming the crosses represented individuals killed, while Ramaphosa questioned the location's identification.

The controversy was further fueled when Trump erroneously displayed an article with an image of body bags from the Democratic Republic of Congo, misidentifying them as “white farmers being buried.” Reuters corrected Trump's misinformation.

Mchunu clarified that the crosses symbolized killings on farms over the years and were not individual graves. He cited the specific case of Glen and Vida Rafferty, who were murdered on their farm in KwaZulu-Natal in 2020. Their deaths spurred protests by the farming community, leading to the placement of the white crosses along the road between Newcastle and Normandien to highlight rural safety concerns.

Mchunu emphasized that three suspects were arrested and sentenced for the Raffertys' murder, debunking claims of inaction regarding crimes against farmers. He criticized the foreign misinterpretation of crime dynamics in South Africa, asserting that the term “genocide” was introduced in a distinctly foreign manner. Despite respecting the US and its leaders, Mchunu firmly rejected the genocide narrative.

Mchunu asserted that claims of systematic targeting of white farmers are disproved by South Africa’s justice system, free media, and numerous NGOs. He highlighted the recent rescue of American pastor Josh Sullivan, who had been kidnapped in Nelson Mandela Bay, as an example of decisive action by South African authorities, irrespective of nationality or race. Mchunu acknowledged the high levels of crime in South Africa but stressed that it affects all communities, not just white farmers.

The Rafferty murders in 2020 prompted national attention, including a visit from then-police minister Bheki Cele, and prioritized the case. The farmer-led protest following the killings was a call for enhanced rural protection.

Separately, Fred M’membe, President of the Socialist Party, criticized Hakainde Hichilema, claiming he is acting with pride and lacks humility, further alleging Hichilema is stifling public debate and shrinking the online space through cyber laws. M’membe also accuses Hichilema of preventing opposition parties from mobilizing, which M’membe states is unprecedented since the reintroduction of multiparty politics.