The US State Department has accused South African politicians of putting Afrikaner lives and property at risk through what it described as incitement to race-based violence, following two violent attacks on white farmers in the country’s North West Province.
Speaking to American Fox News Digital published on Oct. 31, a State Department spokesperson said that “the lives and property of Afrikaners have been endangered by politicians who incite race-based violence against them.”
The remarks followed reports of two attacks near Johannesburg earlier this month. A 50-year-old farmer, Donovan Marx, was reportedly shot and stabbed, while his ears were allegedly cut off. He was also said to have been subjected to an attempted castration and remained in hospital, according to Ian Cameron, chair of South Africa’s parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police.
In a separate incident, 55-year-old farmer Hannetjie van Zyl was allegedly beaten to death with an iron bar while opening a gate. Both victims’ vehicles and belongings were reportedly stolen.
Cameron described the attacks as “appalling” and called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to strengthen its response through experienced investigators, forensic support and crime intelligence.
“Nobody should have to accept this level of violence as a normal part of life,” he told the American media outlet.
Corné Mulder, leader of the opposition Freedom Front Plus, also raised concerns about rural crime, saying that farm attacks remained a serious problem. He argued that the alleged torture in Marx’s case went beyond ordinary criminal violence.
The incidents have intensified an ongoing diplomatic dispute between Washington and Pretoria over the treatment and security of South Africa’s Afrikaner community, which is largely descended from European settlers.
The State Department said the Trump administration had urged senior South African officials to condemn what it called incitement to race-based violence, particularly the singing of the song “Kill the Farmer! Kill the Boer!”
The controversy has been a point of tension between US President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa has previously said that the country’s highest court ruled that the song’s lyrics did not constitute hate speech, while Mulder and other critics have called on the government to take stronger action against its use.
Also, the US State Department criticised South African policies concerning land ownership and employment, saying politicians had threatened farm confiscations without compensation and supported what it described as discriminatory, race-based requirements.
It said Washington had asked Pretoria to formally designate rural crime as a priority and expand alternatives to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment ownership requirements, including equity-equivalent investment programmes.
“The lack of a meaningful response to these requests made clear that the South African government does not want a constructive relationship with the United States,” the spokesperson said.
The State Department added that the US was prioritising the resettlement of Afrikaners whom it said were escaping government-sponsored, race-based discrimination. Nearly 13,000 South African refugees, most of them Afrikaners, had been flown to the US during the 2026 fiscal year, with a further 17,500 expected in fiscal year 2027.
Fox News Digital said it had sought comment from the South African government but was referred to the police, which had not responded at the time of publication.
