Is there a “white genocide” in South Africa? 041Culture columist Mvume Ndimba unpacks the facts, the myths, and the global politics behind this controversial narrative.
In this edition of “They said what about us in America?” I follow up on a few stories that have piqued my interest in the ongoing drama between our home and the United States.
Mass deportations in America continue as our Afrikaans brothers and sisters have been offered assylum from the ongoing genocide in South Africa. While small brown spanish speaking countries are having their expats forcibly returned back home.
Victims of the current, bloody mass murder of whites in the country are finally offered a way out of the discrimination and marginalisation they experience under the tyrannical rule of the majority black government… except…
Every white person I’ve spoken to in the last week has looked at me like I had two heads when I shared this news with them…
“There’s a genocide?” they ask incredulously as I explain what the United has proposed to alleviate their suffering.”Trump did NOT say that!” they continue as I explain the vague and frankly unenforceable criteria for acceptance as a refugee. “Shit, we need to get some extra Afrikaans lessons” they quip, as I joke about my whole paternal family potentially getting a shot at their American dream (we all speak Afrikaans by the way, we’ve been farming cattle in the Eastern Cape for 3 generations, so when buying or selling cattle we deal predominantly with Afrikaans men).
This is not the first time that “white tears” brought results however, a little know expat named Brandon Huntley was granted asylum in Canada way back in 2009, sowing the seeds for the now pervasive “white genocide” trope. Many white people experience crime on a level they have never seen before. Break-ins and assaults have become far more common in the lush suburbs of our great country and without any context, it’s quite easy to see this as only happening to your people.
However, despite what international news would have you believe, there is no genocide happening in South Africa. There is no concentrated effort from black and brown South Africans to exterminate the white population of the country, you can ask any person of colour on the street randomly and they’ll tell you, we have our own things to worry about besides white people, man… In some ways, we have moved beyond the racial division in this country and are working towards building our own lives in an upward trajectory… but racists, unfortunately, have never moved on.
The facts are quite simple. In quarter 1 of 2025 we lose an estimated 69 souls a day to murderer, the majority of whom are black men living in informal urban areas.
There can be no doubt that white South Africa has experienced crime on a larger scale since the case of Mr. Huntley’s refugee status being approved, there can be no doubt that security measures in homes needed to be doubled or even tripled up in investment to secure one’s home, but that has been South Africa for the last 30 years for all of us… It’s only just now starting to feel real to some because it used to only happen in neighbourhoods they won’t go to because it’s too dangerous to be there and white.
So it’s not only happening to white people. It’s across the board…
A recent, now quiet trend of mass-shooting at taverns where 0 white people were killed or even targeted comes to mind. The rate of homicide toward men in South Africa is x7 the global average. Even more shocking, 69% of these male focused homicides were committed using knives (a weapon that requires the perpetrator to be close to the victim to complete)
Black men were the single most likely to be killed by strangers, white men second and coloured men last, as they were most likely to be killed by a family member or acquaintance.
The highest rates of murder occur in informal urban settlements (eKasi) while the second highest rate takes place in rural settlements (farms) with the urban/developed areas being the least likely place you would find a man killed.
All this is to ask the question: “where is the public outcry for South African Males?” “Who will grant us refugee status?”
Or is this more “my heart goes out to you” (only if you’re white) activity?
You see, the fact of the matter here is that crime in South Africa, while showing slight improvements across the board and i do mean SLIGHT. Is still completely out of control.
We are all victims of criminal elements who are able to circumvent the law, or in some cases, are so institutionalised that they cannot function outside of the prison system, and sometimes… sometimes people are just crazy!
So at this point after reading all these stats lifted from different studies you’re probably wondering “If it’s not racial, then what is causing these spikes in violent crime?”
And the answer is quite clumsily simple. Where there’s unemployment there’s always crime. With our unemployment amongst the youth between 45% and 60.2% and 32.1% overall. People are going to get paid legally or illegally, making those of us who are blessed enough to have jobs targets for those who don’t.
Now you’re probably saying “Okay, Mvu, seems easy enough, if we can tackle unemployment we can fix the crime issue right?” Wrong bro…
The next biggest factor was alcohol consumption, a proud national pass time that has built this country up brick by brick from the Indian indentured workers brought to the East Coast of KZN (where the slur “coolie/koelie” comes from) to the Sdakwas in the mines of Johannesburg to the bergie at the foot of table mountain. Alcohol has been a generational companion to the South African man and woman, giving us solace from the stresses of life before liberation, today it is used to celebrate liberation and give us a sense of freedom in a society that, on paper, should be free already.
So now you’re probably saying “okay, okay. So if we fix unemployment and ban alcohol consumption. Everything should be fine right? No more genocide?”
To that I can only say remember lockdown level 5? I say that to say… we’ll find a way. If the “take it or leave it” pricing couldn’t stop us, there’s no way some silly little laws are going to stop us from having a good time.
So… What now? South Africans are dying in numbers daily. Across race, wage and gender lines. We are all dropping like flies. What is the solution?
I dont know… I honestly have no idea how to turn the tide in the country and thankfully, that is not my job, I’m not the minister of police, I’m not in charge of stopping crime, I am in charge of me and only me. And that is where I chose to put my focus.
In the immortal words of the most racist teacher you ever had (don’t pretend they never said this after being accused of being racist)
” I dont care if you’re pink, blue or green with polka dots” I will treat you with respect. I will never look at you and assume you know what your life is like. I don’t want to control you or take anything from you, I only want to exist in an environment that allows me to be me at all times, and if that bothers you… I don’t know, I guess you better start learning Afrikaans buddy.
My colleague (I call her my work sister) and I had this conversation this week and something she said really stuck with me… When i told her what Trump had planned she had a good laugh with me, we enjoyed the ridiculousness of the suggestion of a genocide, then her face changed… the smile on her face faded slightly into a contemplative frown… She pursed her lips and said “you know what, as ridiculous as it is, maybe I should get (her daughter) some extra Afrikaans lessons… Since we dont have the benefit of dual citizenship it would be nice for her to have the option”
And then it hit me… Most of the Afrikaners i know in real life would rather die than give up the country they call home. In real life they are some of the most genuine and open people you could meet and in real life, they know what this is too… it’s a plan B, an exit plan that the British descendents have enjoyed for generations that they never got to experience.
I know there won’t be a mass exodus of Afrikaans people when this refugee plan happens, instead its the working age 18-21 year olds who will be moving over in numbers. This refugee story isn’t about the survival of the Afrikaans people in South Africa, the Afrikaans people have already earned the right to survival from the British generations ago. This is about something else entirely and I worry for those of us who will stay behind, not because of food insecurity, as I mentioned above we won’t lose any skilled farmers and even if we do we have plenty of perfectly capable farmers to take on the mantle despite the Zimbabwe horror stories you’re told of.
I worry for us because of the statistics provided above, about the rates of crime in the country and how we will curb this issue, because it is clear that our law enforcement is not up to par with these criminals. No disrespect to our fine men and women on the front lines but every day that unemployment increases they are outnumbered more and more by criminal elements who desire not the flesh of white men and women, they desire money and will do anything to get it out of your hands into theirs. Technology is progressing faster than law enforcement can keep up, remember that lady who gave “Brad Pitt” half a million because he was sick and in hospital?
We have a long history battling racism and that fight continues to this day. Stay safe and do whatever you can to protect yourself in this crazy, beautiful piece of the world.
With love
Mvume Van De Ndimba
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