Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of discrimination against South Africa’s white minority have sparked a wave of online satire.
Trump alleged that “certain classes of people” in South Africa were treated “very badly,” referencing a land reform bill signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In response, he cut U.S. aid to South Africa and announced a refugee resettlement plan for Afrikaners, citing their “unjust racial discrimination.”
White South Africans quickly took to social media, ridiculing Trump’s statements by playfully exaggerating their own privilege in a series of viral videos.
South African comedian Bouwer Bosch mocked the offer in a TikTok skit, excitedly announcing his move to the U.S. before joking about returning for a beach vacation.
An Instagram video titled “A Day in the Life of an Oppressed White South African” showed a woman joking about how the biggest hardship she faced was the country’s strong summer sun.
Meanwhile, South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, now an adviser to Trump, echoed the former president’s criticism, calling South Africa’s land policies “openly racist.”
Another viral video featured comedian Sed Pillay portraying a white farmer requesting asylum in the U.S. while insisting he must bring his Black farm workers with him.
South Africa’s Foreign Ministry dismissed Trump’s statements, calling them inaccurate and ignoring the country’s painful history of colonialism and apartheid.
Despite land reform efforts, white South Africans—who make up less than 10% of the population—still own most of the country’s farmland.
While opposition party Democratic Alliance challenges the land bill in court, it has denied claims that the law allows arbitrary land seizures without fair compensation.
