The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has expressed ‘profound disappointment’ with the recent report on human rights in South Africa published by the U.S. State Department.
The Ministry says the report is an inaccurate and deeply flawed account that fails to reflect the reality of South Africa’s constitutional democracy.
In the report, the U.S. State Department claims the human rights situation in South Africa significantly deteriorated in 2024, with particular concern over the signing of the Expropriation Act, allowing land expropriation without compensation.
The report also warns of growing abuses against Afrikaners and other racial minorities, reports of unlawful killings by police and alleged deaths in custody.
The report states farm murders remain high, linking it with political rhetoric (e.g., the EFF’s “Kill the Boer” chant).
It also cites that while press freedom is generally respected, it is being undermined by harassment of journalists, self-censorship, and intimidation from ANC and EFF members.
The report also lists the murder of two black women in Limpopo in August 2024, who were shot and killed and then fed to pigs, as “extrajudicial killings”.
But DIRCO has hit back, saying the report relies on discredited accounts of the situation in the country.
“It cites an incident involving the deaths of farm workers and, despite the matter being actively adjudicated by our independent judiciary, misleadingly presents it as an extrajudicial killing. This is not only premature but a fundamental distortion of the facts, as the individuals are formally arraigned before a court of law. Similarly, incidents of police using force are mentioned without acknowledging the robust processes in place, where institutions designed to protect our democracy are actively investigating whether due process was followed and if such force was warranted.”
The Ministry says South Africa operates a transparent system where information is freely available from local law enforcement agencies and Chapter 9 institutions, which are constitutionally mandated to protect and advance human rights.
“It is ironic that a report from a nation that has exited by the UN Human Rights Council and therefore no longer sees itself accountable in a multilateral peer review system would seek to produce one-sided fact-free reports without any due process or engagement. This is particularly striking given the significant and documented concerns about human rights within the United States, including the treatment of refugees and breaches in due process by its own agencies, such as ICE.”
In stark contrast to the U.S. report, the United Nations Human Rights Office in Geneva recently described South Africa’s Land Expropriation Act, signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa, as a “critical step in addressing the country’s racially imbalanced land ownership.”
“This recognition from the UN’s primary human rights body underscores the integrity of our legislative processes aimed at rectifying historical injustices in a constitutional and human-rights-based manner.”
DIRCO says it will provide a set of documents, which will be released for public perusal in due course, to correct the distortions.
