South African Farmer Disputes Trump's Claim About White Crosses Display

Rob Hoatson, who erected a display of white crosses in South Africa, has contested Donald Trump's characterization of the memorial as a burial site, insisting it commemorates farm murder victims.

The man responsible for a display of white crosses in South Africa has clarified that they were misrepresented by U.S. President Donald Trump during a recent meeting at the White House. Rob Hoatson, the organizer of the memorial located in KwaZulu-Natal province, stated that Trump incorrectly labeled the crosses as a burial site, asserting they served as a tribute to a couple, Glen and Vida Rafferty, who were murdered on their farm in 2020.

During a tense dialogue with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump presented the video of the white crosses to underscore his claims that white farmers in South Africa face targeted violence. However, Ramaphosa countered Trump's allegations, highlighting that while there is violence in the nation, it's not accurate to say that the Afrikaner minority is being systematically murdered.

In the Oval Office, Trump claimed, "These are burial sites… over 1,000 of white farmers and… those cars aren't driving, they're stopped there to pay respects to their family member who was killed," while showing the video. Hoatson, a 46-year-old farmer, expressed his disappointment with Trump’s dramatic portrayal, stating the memorial was meant to be a temporary tribute and not a permanent burial site.

"It’s not a burial site, but it was a memorial," Hoatson explained. "The big issue here is not really whether it's a burial site or a memorial," he added, addressing his concerns regarding the murders of white farmers, which he labeled as "unacceptable" and "unnecessary."

When discussing Trump's behavior during the meeting, Hoatson remarked, "I think Trump placed the facts at the foot of Ramaphosa and asked him to respond to them," suggesting that Ramaphosa's response was inadequate.

Ramaphosa did acknowledge criminal activity in South Africa, stating, "people who do get killed through criminal activity are not only white people; the majority of them are black people." Meanwhile, rising tensions regarding crime in the country persist, as South Africa reports high murder rates; in a recent quarter, nearly 10,000 people were killed, with only a fraction being impacted by farm attacks.

Reactions to Trump's remarks have been mixed; some Afrikaner activists welcomed the attention to the issue, while critics, such as political columnist Pieter du Toit, dismissed the narrative as exaggerated and misleading—stressing the importance of accurate discourse on the complexities of race and violence in South Africa.