Washington, May 22(H.S.): During a high-profile meeting at the White House with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, U.S. President Donald Trump made severe accusations claiming that the South African government is ignoring targeted murders of white farmers.

During the meeting, Trump turned off the lights in the Oval Office and played a controversial video featuring a radical leader singing a song with lyrics like “kill the farmer.” He also showed several news articles to support his claim that white farmers are facing “death, horrible death.”

Trump had already cut off all U.S. aid to South Africa and has granted asylum to dozens of white South African farmers, asserting that a “racial genocide” is occurring there.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa denied Trump's accusations, stating, “We are completely against this kind of violence and thinking. That is not the policy of our government.”

Ramaphosa described the aim of the meeting as “re-establishing relations between America and South Africa,” but Trump's stance did not soften. He reiterated, “When they take land, they kill white farmers.”

Earlier in February, Trump had issued an executive order halting all U.S. aid to South Africa. The order accused the South African government of adopting “non-white” policies and supporting “rogue elements” like Iran and Hamas.

In this controversy, remarks from Trump’s South African-born advisor Elon Musk fanned the flames. Musk claimed that his Starlink project is being denied licenses because he is not black, while the South African government stated that Starlink has not yet submitted any official application.

Ramaphosa brought along famous golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen in his delegation, which was a strategic effort considering Trump's obsession with golf. Additionally, luxury goods tycoon Johann Rupert was included in the delegation to balance the issue of land acquisition.

The Trump administration is also unhappy with South Africa's international stance, particularly its accusations of genocide against Israel in the International Court regarding the Gaza crisis. Furthermore, Ramaphosa’s previous role with telecommunications company MTN, which is linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has also raised suspicions in Washington.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar