International relations minister Ronald Lamola’s comments about white supremacy could further fracture SA-US relations.
Political relations between South Africa and the USA have been strained further after international relations and cooperation minister Ronald Lamola accused America’s leaders of pursuing a “white supremacy” agenda.
Since US President Donald Trump took office at the start of the year, the US has cancelled aid funding to South Africa, issued an executive order against the country alleging human rights violations, offered refugee status to white “farmers”, and expelled former Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool for his criticism of the Trump administration.
Trump attempted to ambush a meeting between Ramaphosa and himself at the White House in May with “evidence” of alleged “white genocide”, and after speaking badly about the country on the international stage for months, he boycotted the G20 Leaders’ Summit to be held in South Africa this week.
While Lamola has often pushed against the narrative of white genocide and encouraged Trump to visit the country to investigate the claims. He has also called for a resetting of bilateral trade relations between the two countries.
‘White supremacy agenda’
Reflecting on the May meeting in the Oval Office, Lamola told CNN‘s Donie O’Sullivan that he believed Trump was pursuing a white supremacy agenda.
“It was excruciatingly difficult [to see] that there’s fearmongering to pursue the agenda of white supremacy.”
In an interview with O’Sullivan to air on Monday morning in South Africa, Lamola said, “The programme to take white Afrikaners from South Africa is a clear programme to back up white supremacy. When you look at the Geneva Convention, they (the Afrikaners) do not fit the definition of a refugee.”
The White House disputed the claims, telling the broadcaster that Trump was approaching the refugee issue with “a humanitarian heart”.
South Africa's foreign minister says the Trump administration is pursuing a policy of "white supremacy" in its changes to the US refugee program.
The WH has dismissed the claim and says Trump has a "humanitarian heart." @kaitlancollins pic.twitter.com/JYbjpdNQ1o
— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) November 14, 2025
What do ‘refugees’ say?
One of those who took Trump up on the offer said he believed there was a genocide in South Africa because “they want it to be a black country”.
“If that is not the definition of genocide, then I don’t know what is.
“It is not just about murders but eradication by any means,” said Errol Langton in a clip from an interview.
