Cape Town – A photograph of Springboks captain Siya Kolisi being lifted on the shoulders of teammates Eben Etzebeth and RG Snyman has been repurposed online to push claims of a “white genocide” against Afrikaners in South Africa.
The image circulated on X, accompanied by sarcastic posts such as: “Terrible things are happening in South Africa. They make Afrikaner people carry them on their shoulders. And they make them smile though it.”
These posts appear against the backdrop of wider claims by former US President Donald Trump that white South Africans — particularly Afrikaner farmers — are being murdered and dispossessed. Ahead of the G20 Summit in November 2025, Trump said: “Terrible things are happening in South Africa … they’re confiscating land and actually they’re doing things that are perhaps far worse than that.”
BREAKING:
Trump announces he’s cutting all aid for South Africa.
“Terrible things are happening in South Africa … they’re confiscating land and actually they’re doing things that are perhaps far worse than that.”
🇺🇸🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/AWH3gpVP3F
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) February 3, 2025
Trump also stated, “It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa. Afrikaners … are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.”
🚨 NEW: President Donald Trump announces that the United States will not send any representatives to the G20 summit in South Africa, citing ongoing human rights abuses against Afrikaners. pic.twitter.com/FwjFo8stmQ
— Digi Gal 🌸 (@DigitalGal_X) November 8, 2025
However, these claims have been widely challenged.
South African officials and independent analysts say there is no credible evidence of a targeted campaign of genocide against white farmers.
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, tweeted: “There is no credible evidence to support the claim that white farmers in South Africa are being systematically targeted as part of a campaign of genocide.”
“Claims of a ‘White genocide’ or its euphemism Afrikaner persecution are imagined and used for political expediency. “
Claims of a ‘White genocide’ or its euphemism Afrikaner persecution are imagined and used for political expediency.
Data does not support the narrative. From April 2020 to March 2024:
225 people were victims of crime on farms in South Africa, according to the police.
Many… https://t.co/WiJDMlyPws
— Minister: International Relations and Cooperation (@RonaldLamola) November 8, 2025
Likewise, Afrikaner journalist Max du Preez stated: “There is no genocide in South Africa, there’s absolutely no persecution of anyone based on race. Our constitution has iron-clad protection of every citizen’s human rights.”
Take a look at how the Siya photograph has been repurposed:
The photo was captured following Siya’s celebration of his 100th Test cap in France over the weekend. RG and Eben are Afrikaners, while Siya is a Xhosa South African.
Very bad things are happening in that country.
Very bad. Very very bad. They make Afrikaans people carry them on their shoulders. And they are told to smile through it. Stole the tweet. But it’s awesome. #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/HiUhozJmd6
— #StrongerTogether 🇿🇦🏉 (@Derekepping) November 9, 2025
@SecRubio @realDonaldTrump @elonmusk Some of the terrible things that are happening in South Africa: not only do they cook Afrikaner people for breakfast, they use them as beasts of burden as they take them to slaughterhouses pic.twitter.com/fOOPgxKHYh
— Zakes Mda (@ZakesMda) November 11, 2025
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Picture: X/@Derekepping
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
