President Donald Trump is facing criticism for allegedly providing false evidence of a “genocide” against white farmers in South Africa, per OK Magazine. A closer look revealed that the image he presented during a press briefing was actually taken in the Congo.
In a press conference on Wednesday, May 21, alongside South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump remarked, “The farmers are not Black. I’m not saying that’s good or bad, but the farmers are not Black. The people are being killed in large numbers, and you saw all of those gravesites.”
To support his claims, Trump shared reports alleging violence throughout the country. However, it turned out that the photos he used were not from South Africa at all. Trump displayed a printout from the website American Thinker, which allegedly supported his assertions. However, the blog post contained a screenshot from a YouTube video showing a response by Red Cross workers to incidents of mass rape and murder specifically in Goma, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, not South Africa.
During the widely publicized meeting, President Ramaphosa acknowledged, “There is criminality in our country. People who do get killed, unfortunately, through criminal activity, are not only white people — the majority of them are Black people,” he noted while also highlighting the broader context of crime within his nation.
“One of the most embarrassing moments for Americans was when Donald Trump pulled out a picture from the Congo and claimed it was a burial site for victims of his imaginary ‘white genocide’ in South Africa,” said one X user.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
How Trump misrepresented images to support claims of "White genocide" in South Africa, including Congo video https://t.co/ORBHk9mVVw
Tyla has been straightforward in defending herself against fans. In a recent photo on X (formerly Twitter), the singer addressed a critic who commented on her outfit. Tyla shared an image of herself wearing an oversized South African-themed shirt paired with a bikini bottom, seemingly enjoying a day at the beach.
The photo captioned,
“Looking like a tourist in my own country.”
A user commented on the photo saying,
“Tyla why don’t you just walk naked in public, it seems like you hate clothes.”
The singer then replied,
“you want me to wear a onesie on the beach? Stfu.”
Clapping back seems to be a common theme for the singer as this isn’t the first time Tyla has replied to backlash from fans.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
Tyla why don't you just walk naked in public, seems like you hate clothes 🤷
Chris Brown’s South Africa concert is set to take place in December 2024, and fans’ anticipation is over the roof. However, as the event dates draw closer, the singer is facing backlash from women’s rights activists in South Africa. Many have called for the concert’s cancellation, citing Brown’s violent past. Recall that the icon was embroiled in a controversy in 2009 when he assaulted his then-girlfriend, Rihanna. The activists are convinced that allowing a figure like Brown to perform will send a damaging message.
Activists Create Petition to Cancel Brown’s South Africa Concert
It is about two months to Chris Brown’s South Africa concert, and the countdown has already begun. However, while fans look forward to seeing the artist live, South African campaigners for women’s rights aren’t happy about the event. Recently, BBC reported that the activists created a petition to ban Brown from performing in the country. The petition came after the musician sold out tickets to the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg in less than two hours — the stadium is the largest in Africa, with over 94,000 seats.
Speaking to BBC, Sabina Walter, the executive director of Women for Change, expressed her frustration. She said:
“When I saw the news that Chris Brown was coming to South Africa, I was shocked and deeply disappointed.”
Walter explained that they started the petition to send a strong message. She said they made it clear they would not tolerate the celebration of individuals with a history of violence against women. She also noted that giving someone like Brown a platform in a country where gender-based violence was at its peak only sent a damaging message.
Walter revealed it simply meant that fame and power outweighed accountability. The activist also expressed her disappointment in the Department of Home Affairs’s decision to grant a “convicted abuser” a visa. Walter said the decision was “concerning and indicative of systematic failure.”
Fans Are Behind Chris Brown
Although the campaigners called for the concert’s cancellation, the singer’s fans stuck with him. Recently, Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng, former University of Cape Town vice-chancellor, took to social media to share her thoughts. In a post shared on X, she revealed she would attend the event. Phakeng shared that she stood against gender-based violence and condemned it. According to her, perpetrators should face the full might of the law without exceptions or leniency. However, Phakeng emphasized that Brown’s history and upcoming concert were not mutually exclusive.
She said suggesting that enjoying an artist’s concert meant aligning oneself with their past actions was intellectually dishonest. The professor added:
“Music is bigger than the individual.”
Ultimately, Phakeng argued that boycotting Brown’s concert would not end gender-based violence in South Africa. Similarly, many South Africans agree with Phakeng, as Walters has stated that she has even received threats because of the campaign. Nevertheless, she maintains that the criticism they are facing shows a deep disconnection in how society views violence against women. Meanwhile, Walters and other activists aren’t canceling the petition, which has gotten over 20,000 signatures.
#Clique, what do you think of the petition against Chris Brown’s South Africa concert? Do you think he should be allowed to perform? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
According To African News, Sixteen men and two women suspected of being part of a gang that robbed armored vans were killed Friday in a shootout with South African police in a rural northern region. Officers approached a building where the gang was operating, and the suspects opened fire, which they returned, according to officials.
The gang was suspected of robbing armored vans used for carrying cash from banks and had been under surveillance for days. The shootout started at around 1pm this afternoon and the police returned fire. The shooting lasted about an hour and a half. It was a war. When it finally ended, we found that 16 men and 2 women had been killed, informed Fannie Masemola, South Africa National Police Commissioner.
We can say that bombs that are used in CIT (Cash-In-Transit) crimes were also found. Some of them were found placed in strategic areas of the residence to avoid them going off accidentally, added the National Police Commissioner. Cash-in-transit heists are a common and often violent crime in South Africa, and the criminals who pull them off are usually heavily armed.
According To Sunday Tribune, Appearing in her first podcast since the death of her rapper boyfriend, Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, Nadia Nakai owned her space and seemed as jovial as ever. Chatting to Zingah on his popular podcast,
“Choppin It Up With Bhuda T”
The
“Naaa Meaan”
Hitmaker spoke of how she rose to heights in her career.
About her private family affairs, the rapper, who was born Nadia Dlamini, shared that she was born and bred in South Africa and could not take any credit from Zimbabwean artists. She disclosed how she recently met her father after three decades at a Spur restaurant in Boksburg after he had reached out to her after media reports following AKA’s death. Since her parents’ divorce, Nakai’s dad lived between Canada and South Africa, while she lived with her mom during her childhood in South Africa and Kenya.
“It was actually a good meeting, it was wholesome, it was nice. I didn’t have any anger because I feel like I lived a good life with my mom. I think I just wanted to meet him because there was a lot going on in my life, things were hectic, and I felt like I needed to find myself’.
“I also went to Zim to see my gogo. It was part of my healing process”.
Speaking about her recent 2am tweets where she said she was
“ready to die”
She said that she wasn’t suicidal but just tweeted when she was
“drunk and emotional”
“People read my tweets like I am suicidal, now they need to save her, and it’s not that. I just get to a point where, those demon times, at 2 or 3am, sometimes I just tweet things that I am not supposed to.”
#Clique what are your thoughts on this?
WATCH: Nadia Nakai to Zingah: ‘I get drunk and emotional and tweet things I’m not suppose to’ https://t.co/HU77qWlRpr
According To BBC Africa, five people have died in ongoing protest in Cape Town, South Africa, this week long strike was called in response to what drivers said was
“heavy handed tactics”
By law enforcement authorities. The taxi drivers complained over infringements levelled on them, which includes not wearing a seatbelt and allegedly driving in the emergency lane drivers said. The taxi drivers and owners said their vehicle were being targeted and impounded for minor offenses.
The victims include a 40-year-old Bristish national whose family is being supported by the UK Foreign Office. The South African Ministry of Police said 120 people had been arrested since the strikes began on August 3 and they were aware of incidents of looting, stone throwing and arson. Police Officer Bheki Cele also confirmed a police officer was among those who died.
On Tuesday, residents in the Masiphumelele township set up barricades, preventing other residents from leaving, many of those barricades have been set alight, The UK has issued a travel warning after the strike was listed as a highly security threat for tourists visiting South Africa.
#Clique what are your thoughts?
A weeklong strike by taxi drivers in Cape Town, South Africa turned violent Tuesday as many things in South Africa do. Five were killed.pic.twitter.com/A4abWLkHGa
Police officials in South Africa have launched a nationwide manhunt for a convicted rapist known as the “Facebook Rapist,” after he faked his death and escaped a privately-run maximum security prison in Bloemfontein, CBS News reports.
In 2012, Thabo Bester was sentenced to life in prison for the rape, robbery, and murder of a model. He had previously been convicted of raping and robbing two aspiring models that he had lured through Facebook. In May of 2022, a spokesperson from The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) announced Bester’s death. They claimed that a fire had started in his prison cell at the Mangaung Correctional Centre, taking his life.
Almost a year later, after investigating the death further, DNA tests revealed that the burned remains found in the serial rapist’s cell belong to someone else. The victim used to fake Bester’s death has yet to be identified, but an autopsy revealed that the cause of death was from blunt force trauma to the head before being set on fire. Officials are now investigating the incident as a homicide.
The Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services is now offering a reward for those with any information leading to Bester’s re-arrest.
“No stone will be left unturned in getting to the bottom of Thabo Bester’s escape, and there will be serious consequences for any party involved,” the ministry said in a statement.
