South Africa rebukes US report citing ‘distorted facts’
The South African government has rejected a US State Department human rights report, calling it “inaccurate and deeply flawed.”
The annual report, released Tuesday, accuses South Africa of worsening human rights conditions, citing the new Expropriation Bill, alleged extrajudicial killings, and repression of racial minorities, particularly Afrikaners.
International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola said the assessment relied on “a-contextual information and discredited accounts,” dismissing its portrayal of a farm worker’s death as an extrajudicial killing while the case is still before the courts.
The US report also condemned the Expropriation Bill, signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, as targeting Afrikaners. In contrast, the UN Human Rights Office welcomed it as a step toward correcting apartheid-era land inequality.
Relations between Pretoria and Washington have been strained, worsened by recent 30% US tariffs on South African exports. The government stressed its strong constitutional safeguards and pointed to documented rights issues in the US.
The ministry plans to release a detailed rebuttal this week but says it remains open to diplomatic dialogue.
You can’t dialogue with a racist administration like Trump’s. Tell them to pound sand and move on.