Pastor Mark Burns, an evangelical leader often referred to as Donald Trump’s ‘top pastor’, is currently visiting South Africa.
During his visit, he firmly refuted claims of a white genocide occurring in the country, asserting that such allegations are not backed by the realities on the ground.
“There is no ‘white genocide’ happening here,” Burns said after meeting with white farmers, business owners, and former apartheid-era leaders. “They were genuinely surprised that this claim even made it to the international stage.”
Burns’ comments come in the wake of recent statements by US President Donald Trump, who, during the May 21 Oval Office meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa, alleged that white farmers are victims of systematic killings.
Trump presented a video purportedly showing mass graves of white farmers, which was later debunked. In the video, he showed a dirt road lined with white crosses, tractors, and grieving figures.
“These are burial sites. Over a thousand white farmers,” Trump said.
However, Burns claims that while songs like ‘Kill the Boer’ are divisive and contribute to racial tensions, the broader issue is the country’s high crime rate, which affects all communities.
“Unemployment is crushing, and poverty is driving violent crime in all communities,” he said.
He credited the Trump-Ramaphosa meeting with prompting national reflection, leading to increased unity among South Africans against misinformation, a heightened focus on public safety, and discussions about revisiting Black Economic Empowerment policies to ensure broader benefits.
“The ‘white genocide’ claim has ironically united the country,” Burns observed. “Black and white South Africans are standing together saying, this isn’t who we are.”
Burns added that many white South Africans believe President Trump was misinformed and expressed hope that he would visit South Africa during the upcoming G20 summit to engage directly with the nation’s realities.
“President Trump sparked a conversation. Now South Africa is responding,” Burns added.
Ramaphosa has refuted claims of genocide. “The criminality that we are experiencing in our country needs quite a lot of technological capability and there is support that we can get from you as the United States to help us deal with all these acts of criminality and that is what I believe partnership is all about and we are here as a partners so that we can help each other.”
Politics
