Trump to Give AfriForum R18m grant, sparking backlash over white SA Claims

Solidarity and AfriForum representatives in Washington D.C, United States (US). Picture: AfriForum

The Trump administration is facing mounting criticism after moving to award nearly $1 million (about R18 million) to South African lobby group AfriForum, a decision critics say legitimises disputed claims of anti-white persecution while Washington continues to scale back funding for other human rights programmes around the world.

According to a recent ProPublica investigation, the funding is expected to come from the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour and would support AfriForum’s efforts to document what it describes as discrimination, hateful rhetoric and violence directed at Afrikaners and other minority communities.

The proposed grant marks the latest sign of growing ties between AfriForum and US President Donald Trump’s administration, which has repeatedly amplified claims that white South African farmers are being unfairly targeted and has introduced refugee pathways for Afrikaners seeking to settle in the United States.

The proposed funding also comes against the backdrop of AfriForum’s growing engagement with the Trump administration.

The Citizen has reached out to AfriForum for comment

Last year, AfriForum and the broader Solidarity Movement met senior White House officials and handed over what they called the”Washington Memorandum”, which urged the United States to recognise alleged discrimination against Afrikaners and provide humanitarian assistance for Afrikaner development and community infrastructure in South Africa.

The group’s lobbying efforts have sparked fierce debate in South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national security adviser, Sydney Mufamadi, accused AfriForum of going to Washington to “gossip about their own country”, warning that such actions risk deepening divisions in South Africa.

Their visit also raised eyebrows, with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, confirming that it is investigating four case dockets of high treason linked to claims of a white genocide against farmers in the country.

Over the last few years, AfriForum has been lobbying for US support in dealing with farm murders and other government policies it claims have been marginalising those it represents.

During one of its 2019 tours, AfriForum said its meetings with US representatives had been successful.

The organisation has also faced political backlash over its engagement with US officials, with critics accusing it of promoting discredited claims of a “white genocide” narrative that has increasingly featured in Trump administration messaging on South Africa.

According to the ProPublica investigation, the proposed award totals $986,500 and was initially intended for Lex Libertas, an organisation founded by former AfriForum executive Ernst Roets, before a formal application process was opened.

The publication also reported that Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about transparency surrounding the proposed funding

But the move has triggered fierce backlash from former US officials, academics, and human rights experts, who argue the administration is elevating a narrative not supported by available evidence.

“It’s offensive to provide funding solely to this one group after we’ve cut off funding in countries undergoing real documented crises,” former US State Department official David Jandura told ProPublica.

Democrat Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking member of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, blasted the proposed funding, accusing the Trump administration of directing taxpayer money to fringe ideological causes abroad while operating with little transparency.

“The Trump administration funded fringe right-wing causes internationally despite objections from Congress. The lack of transparency from this administration is unacceptable and will continue to be the subject of Congressional oversight,” Shaheen wrote on X, citing the ProPublica investigation.

“The Trump Administration funded fringe right-wing causes internationally despite objections from Congress. The lack of transparency from this Administration is unacceptable and will continue to be the subject of congressional oversight.” –@SenatorShaheen https://t.co/ZKmIT8rMVo

The report notes that official crime statistics and independent researchers have found no evidence of a systematic campaign targeting white South Africans.

While farm attacks remain a serious concern, experts cited by ProPublica say they represent only a small portion of South Africa’s wider violent crime problem, which disproportionately affects poorer and predominantly Black communities.

Another former senior US official criticised the decision, telling the publication the State Department would previously never have funded what they described as a “racially incendiary initiative”.

The funding proposal is likely to further strain already fraught relations between Pretoria and Washington, with Trump’s administration increasingly focusing on the plight of white South Africans as part of its approach to South Africa.

AfriForum told ProPublica it had not yet received final confirmation of the grant and would issue a public announcement should the funding be formally approved.

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