The acting director-general of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Nomthandazo Moyo, emphatically stated that claims of state-sanctioned violence against white citizens are unfounded. Speaking during the opening of the G20 Development Working Group on Sunday, Moyo addressed the pressing issues of development and crime, while reinforcing the government’s commitment to inclusivity across all racial divides.
As crime continues to be a universal challenge, Moyo stressed that it affects everyone, regardless of location. “Every country deals with crime issues. Public safety is something that impacts us all, whether we are in the south, the north or the east of the globe,” she said, urging for a collective approach to these pressing concerns.
Providing clarity on land redistribution, Moyo confirmed that there has been no expropriation of land without compensation, contradicting misconceptions surrounding the government’s land policies. “When we restitute the land, we buy the land from the previous owners. We don’t take it by force,” she asserted, reaffirming the government’s commitment to redress past injustices of apartheid. “We do buy the land in order to give it back to those who had the land taken (away) through apartheid,” she added.
Moyo further proclaimed, “I can confirm there is no genocide. There is no deliberate action by this government to kill white people. We believe in humanity, we believe in one nation irrespective of race and our policies, our legislation and the application thereof embrace humanity.” She reiterated that the discussion around development must remain inclusive and non-discriminatory, saying, “We are one, whether we are black, white, Indian, coloured; we are the human race.”
Echoing Moyo’s sentiments, the director-general of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Robert Nkuna, added weight to the government’s stance, stating, “The point is we did not plan genocide in the past. There is no genocide at present. There would be no genocide in future. So that is our story.” Such affirmations arrive in the wake of rising international concerns about South Africa’s socio-political climate.
These allegations of genocide have resonated beyond South Africa, reaching foreign soil. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently addressed these issues while in the United States, assuring President Donald Trump that there is no genocide against white individuals in South Africa. In the aftermath of this meeting, various political figures, including notable American actress Viola Davis, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, Free State Agriculture’s Dr Jane Buys, and former African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, have also expressed their solidarity with Moyo’s assertions.
In light of the country’s recent crime statistics, Police Minister Mchunu highlighted the reality of farm murders in South Africa, revealing that in the first three months of 2025, six murders linked to farms occurred, with five victims being black. Mchunu called attention to the skewed reporting of farm murders, stating, “The truth is that farm murders have always included African people in more numbers.”