What the alt-right in South Africa seems to miss, ignore or simply not care about is the primary argument for land redistribution without compensation to rectify the historical injustices inflicted upon the Black majority.
By JACO OELOFSE
AMONGST all the carefully chosen words, concerned eyes and worried voices, the recent AfriForum press release revealed more than one might think.
AfriForum is very quickly realising that they are causing a lot of trouble for many people and what this backlash against them tells us is that people’s patience with them is running thin.
It is interesting to see the land expropriation without compensation debate take centre stage in global politics once more, particularly now that the United States decided to vote for President Donald Trump.
The so-called ‘land debate’ in South Africa last saw this much attention during his previous stint as President. Like clockwork, a similar trend surfaces its ugly face: the myth of white people forcefully being pushed off their land, subjected to ‘reverse apartheid’ and genocide. A lie that is openly propagated by organisations such as AfriForum and the Naziesque alt-right of South Africa.
Despite the plethora of evidence, statistics and research debunking this outlandish tomfoolery, the lie persists. After all, lies beget lies and become deception and hypocrisy. A hypocrisy that is amplified by the fact that actual genocides are taking place: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, the Myanmar government openly committed genocide against the Rohingya, and the Sudanese Civil War has been marked by mass killings and ethnic cleansing.
The recent remarks made by Trump about the Gaza Strip is the height of hypocrisy. The same man concerned about certain classes in South Africa being ‘forced off their land’ is the same man proposing the US (a proxy for Israel) colonises the Gaza Strip, despite the fact that it belongs to Palestinians. And then there are his other bizarre claims to other people’s lands.
To call AfriForum’s behaviour tomfoolery might be an understatement, especially if we analyse the consequences of their actions.
Not only did this strain the already tumultuous relationship between South Africa and the United States, but their actions could potentially cost many South Africans, including white Afrikaners, their jobs. It will impact the South African economy and compromise our position within AGOA. However, through their actions, some truths were revealed. We now see them trying to weasel out of their statements during their last press briefing exposing that they are spineless cowards who can’t stand for what they asked for. Or simply, are they fools for not thinking this through properly?
One of these realisations is the glaring reality of their absoluteness in a modern democratic South Africa. It is now more obvious than ever as thousands of South Africans, including many Afrikaners, pushed back against their actions. Instead of condemning Trump’s aggravating remarks, AfriForum and the South African alt-right supported his claims that the South African government was confiscating land and treating certain groups poorly. AfriForum even stated they would appeal to the US government to impose sanctions on senior leaders of the African National Congress over the Expropriation Bill, which allows for land expropriation without compensation.
Many South Africans have criticised AfriForum for seeking foreign intervention in the country’s domestic affairs. The word treason has also been thrown around, emphasising the ire AfriForum is drawing to itself. The South African government has accused them of spreading misinformation and fear-mongering, a punishable crime in many countries.
The second realisation came after the executive order given by Trump to resettle Afrikaner farmers and their families as refugees in the United States.
Note that these provisions for refugee status are exclusively for white South Africans of European descent. As our Minister of International Relations pointed out, this group remains amongst the most economically empowered and privileged in South Africa.
The irony of this executive order is just how much it entrapped AfriForum and the alt- Right of South Africa, as they often remind everyone that Afrikaners are an indigenous ethnicity of South Africa. The fact that this order is aimed at Afrikaners or white South Africans of European decent, in essence simply showed us that all of this is about one thing: race and white supremacist interests.
Trump is purging the United States of brown and black immigrants, while inviting one of the most privileged groups of people on Earth to resettle as refugees, because they are white. Now AfriForum, and other alt-right organisations such as Solidariteit, have turned down Trump’s offer because – as mentioned earlier – they consider themselves indigenous to South Africa.
On the other hand, just over 10 000 white farmers have already expressed an interest in being European refugees in the United States. With these farmers – nearly a third of our commercial farming – leaving would have serious ramifications for food security in South Africa. Odd how quickly the ‘Africanness’ of white South Africans disappear when it suits them, or the opportunity to leave presents itself.
The alt-right in the US behaves in a similar way to their Afrikaner counterparts in this country. The white supremacist paranoia of race wars and white genocide is an underlying theme of their entire political ideology. They have convinced themselves that anti-racism is racism, Critical Race Theory is a dangerous plot, and equal rights for women have led to anarchy. The European right-wing behaves in a similar way, albeit not adopting the settler colonial theme we see with South Africa and the United States. Ideals such as social justice, to them, are a type of reverse discrimination. And this is what we are seeing with AfriForum and the alt-right in South Africa regarding the much-needed land reform legislation.
However, these 10 000 or so farmers, eager to leave, provide the ANC government with a unique opportunity, one where the idea that ‘South Africa needs white farmers’ can be dispelled. If these farmers wish to leave, let them. Perhaps this will be the motivation the ANC needs to finally commit to a real state-sponsored initiative to educate, train and empower new black young farmers and bring into reality their goal of empowering local communities.
Before we dispel the lies and bring enlightenment to the myths of violent land grabs and white genocide, it is important we understand the broken psyche of white supremacist ideologies such as the alt-right, as it clarifies why so many white South Africans and racists are treasonously rooting for foreign intervention in domestic South African politics.
What is the alt-right
The political theoretician, Wendy Brown, defines the alt-right as neoliberalism’s Frankenstein. It’s a monstrous combination of libertarian and authoritarian ideologies that promotes radical disinhibition and aggressiveness while claiming to restore traditional values and order. In essence, it was violently born from the rage and discontent of white working classes who were sidelined by the white elites for the sake of neoliberal democratic advancements; very similar to how Fascism rose to power in Europe during the 1920s and1940s. As neoliberalism hollowed out western society and culture, the alt-right reformed conservativism around the usual tropes, albeit with some small nuances.
Firstly, the alt-right is known for promoting white nationalist and white supremacist views, which are inherently discriminatory and harmful. This ideology often espouses the belief that white identity is under attack by multicultural forces and uses this as a justification for exclusionary and racist policies, as we see unfolding under the Trump regime. This goes hand-in-hand with their distrust of democracy and democratic principles, especially in an increasingly multicultural western world.
Secondly, alt-right individuals and organisations have a propensity to violence and intimidation, as we see with Trump’s thuggish behaviour towards vulnerable groups inside and outside of the USA.
Conspiracy theories
But the starkest alt-right trademark is their deep love for conspiracy theories, making it nearly impossible to have a civil conversation with them as everything is a conspiracy: feminism, critical race theory, LGBT rights, healthcare, Ukraine, Russia, China. Everything is a sinister Marxist, satanic or Jewish plot to undo the hard work of the white man. The alt-right frequently promotes their unfounded conspiracy theories to entrench mistrust amongst communities and institutions. Now this might work in the United States but in South Africa this nonsense will not fly.
The South African alt-right attempted this with Critical Race Theory and Decoloniality in our universities and public institutions, only to be exposed and debunked. In truth, alt-right politics deems anything a ‘conspiracy theory’ if it challenges the foundational beliefs and narratives that underpins their ideologies. We see this with CRT and Decolonial studies as it exposes how systemic racism is embedded in laws, policies and institutions, while emphasising the idea that racism is something ordinary and rather pervasive in society. This obviously contradicts everything the alt-right stands for as they merely see the world as a place where individuals can achieve anything based on their merit, while ignoring the glaring realities of white supremacy, colonialism and systemic racism. This pattern is similar amongst the alt-righters of South Africa, in particular regarding land invasions and white genocide.
Myth one: Land invasions and white people driven off their land narrative
AfriForum and the South African alt-right manages to keep the myth about land grabs and white genocide alive by plugging into the warped reality of the American alt-right. Because it goes unchallenged there, it is simply accepted and propagated by their brothers-in-arms. However, let us look at some important (sober) points about land reform in South Africa.
Land redistribution without compensation is a deeply significant and complex issue, rooted in the country’s history of colonialism and apartheid. The importance of this policy lies in its potential to address historical injustices, promote social equity, and foster economic development.
Now, a fair concern from AfriForum is about property rights. However, these rights are constitutionally secured, and the Expropriation Act can’t ‘override’ it. The very notion of property rights in South Africa has been reviewed and debated, especially because South Africa is still in the process of decoloniality. If AfriForum claims to be indigenous, then why not learn and adopt indigenous ideals, philosophies and conceptions of private property? It is here where the rancid racism of AfriForum and the alt-right is being exposed. No matter the facts, the details of the Act, the desperate need for land reform, the immense suffering our people are enduring; for them this Act projects only two things – white genocide and loss of white minority control over South Africa’s agricultural means of production.
Furthermore, the Expropriation Act attempts to balance property rights with the public interest by setting out clear procedures and guidelines for expropriation, something AfriForum seems to ignore. The act also requires authorities to attempt voluntary agreements before proceeding with expropriation and ensure that compensation is determined fairly. When it comes to the ‘nil compensation’ clause, section 12(3) clearly indicates that nil compensation could only be granted in very limited circumstances and is left to the discretion of expropriating authorities to determine when it will be just and equitable to expropriate without compensation. The Act also very clearly restricts expropriation without compensation to land, not all forms of property. The notion of property under the South African Constitution is wide with various rights and interests attached to it.
What the alt-right in South Africa seems to miss, ignore or simply not care about is the primary argument for land redistribution without compensation to rectify the historical injustices inflicted upon the Black majority. The new Expropriation Act, signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa, aims to address these disparities by allowing the government to expropriate private property for public purposes or in the public interest, without compensation in certain cases. This approach is seen as a way to right the wrongs of the past and promote social justice. Land redistribution is also crucial for promoting social equity and reducing poverty. By providing land to previously disadvantaged communities, the government can empower them to engage in agriculture, create jobs and improve their living standards.
The majority of South Africans simply can’t endure the immensity of our current situation and arguing that investor confidence will drop is simply not good enough. Land redistribution can also contribute to economic development by increasing agricultural productivity and food security. By redistributing land to small-scale farmers and cooperatives, the government can stimulate rural development and create new economic opportunities. This can help to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on a few large-scale commercial farms.
The lingering effects of colonial and apartheid laws still cripple our nation. The Natives Land Act of 1913 restricted Black South Africans from owning or leasing land, leading to widespread dispossession. The apartheid regime further entrenched these inequalities, concentrating land ownership in the hands of the white minority. Despite the end of apartheid in 1994, land ownership remains highly skewed, with white farmers still controlling 72% of the country’s arable land and 22% of land in South Africa while Black South Africans own only 4% of agricultural land and 1% of land in South Africa. It is no secret that since 1994 the ANC made little attempts to reform land legislation in South Africa mostly due to a lack of care when they had a two-thirds majority in Parliament. And now, constrained by the Constitution and the looming threats of sanctions from western powers, their timing is interesting.
Myth two: White genocide in South Africa
The notion of a ‘white genocide’ in South Africa is a widely debunked claim. The notion of white genocide is rooted in the deeply racist propaganda of the ‘swart gevaar’; that white South Africans are constantly living in fear of black South Africans desiring revenge for apartheid, a revenge they imagine will unfold in the mass killing of all white South Africans. Now, since 1994, this never happened. On the contrary, white South Africans got off easy and for most part received forgiveness (without asking for it) and a willingness by the rest of South Africa to live together peacefully, relatively.
‘White genocide’ is often used by far-right groups and individuals to stoke racial tensions and also oversimplifies and misrepresents the complex socio-economic issues facing South Africa, including crime, poverty, and land reform. AfriForum helps to mystify the situation, causing confusion and misinformation. For example, once claiming that a white farmer is murdered every five days in South Africa. The myth of genocide is also rooted in a more tangible issue, the rampant crime of South Africa, specifically the serious issue of farm attacks. Farm attacks are indeed a serious problem, but a long shot from genocide. In 2024 there were 45 farm murders out of a total of 19 279 murders nationwide; making it 0.23 percent of all murders in South Africa. However, despite the various fact-checking organisations, including local and international statistical information, the myth persisted. So much so that it gained traction in some international circles. Based on misinformation and exaggerated claims, the myth made its way to the inner circles of Donald Trump and the US presidency.
It is safe to summarise the current situation as follows: AfriForum’s recent press release has revealed the mounting backlash they are facing, indicating that people’s patience with them is running thin.
The land expropriation without compensation debate has once again taken centre stage in global politics, especially with the involvement of the United States under President Trump. AfriForum and the South African alt-right propagate the myth of white people being forced off their land and subjected to ‘reverse apartheid’ and genocide, despite ample evidence debunking these claims. Confronting these ideologies and debunking their myths is essential for social progress and justice.
Land redistribution without compensation in South Africa is a complex and contentious issue that requires careful consideration of historical injustices, social equity, economic development and property rights. While the policy has the potential to address long-standing inequalities and promote social justice, it also raises significant challenges and concerns that must be addressed to ensure its success. Ultimately, the success of land redistribution will depend on the government’s ability to implement the policy effectively and balance the competing interests of various stakeholders.
Jaco Oelofse is a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) International Relations Committee.
