South African professional golfer Retief Goosen told President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday that friends of his father had been killed on farms in South Africa, amid allegations that white farmers are being persecuted in the country.
Goosen was present at the White House for the Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and President Ramaphosa in which he explained, “My dad was a property developer as well as a part-time farmer. And yeah, some of his buddy farmers got killed.”
“It's a constant battle,” he added. “They're trying to burn the farms down to chase you away.”
Goosen was joined by fellow South African golf legend Ernie Els, both of whom are acquainted with Trump and accompanied Ramaphosa during the visit.
At the meeting, Trump played a video that he said showed burial sites of white farmers killed in South Africa. "Now this is very bad. These are burial sites right here. Burial sites — over a thousand — of White farmers,” Trump said in regard to the footage.
“Each one of those white things you see is a cross. And there is approximately a thousand of them," he continued. "They're all white farmers. The family of white farmers. And those cars aren't, driving, they are stopped there to pay respects to their family member who was killed. And it's a terrible sight. I've never seen anything like it. On both sides of the road, you have crosses. Those people are all killed."
Ramaphosa appeared surprised by the video and asked Trump, "Have they told you where that is, Mr. President? I'd like to know where that is. Because this I've never seen.”
"I mean, it’s in South Africa, that’s where," Trump replied.
The meeting comes amid growing allegations of violence against white Afrikaner farmers in South Africa, which many have highlighted as evidence of a genocide taking place.
