U.S. State Department issues statement on South Africa

Lex Libertas Media Statement 29 July 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S. State Department issues statement emphasising commitment to a solution in South Africa

Washington, D.C. — The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) at the United States Department of State has issued a statement affirming its commitment to helping resolve the ongoing political crisis in South Africa. The statement follows a recent DRL fact-finding mission to South Africa, which included discussions with a range of stakeholders. Earlier this week, Dr. Ernst Roets, Executive Director of Lex Libertas, also met with DRL representatives in Washington, D.C. to discuss the issues addressed in the statement released today.

The statement, published on the DRL’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, reads:
“In support of @POTUS Executive Orders, DRL just returned from a trip to South Africa to learn more about rural farm attacks and the breakdown of rule of law. Here’s what we found:

South Africa holds enormous economic and geopolitical promise. However, current breakdowns in law and order are not conducive to growth or collaboration with the United States. The South African government must speak clearly and act decisively to address crime and condemn the violence.

Violent crime is rampant in South Africa, but rural attacks—especially on farms—display a distinctly brutal pattern. Local sources reported 296 farm attacks and 49 murders in 2023, and that victims are disproportionately elderly, isolated, and face delayed police response. The South African Police Service reports that the number of farm murders increased to 55 in 2024.

These are not ordinary crimes. In some documented cases, victims were tortured or killed without anything being stolen.

Earlier this year, a man was beaten and hacked with a machete; in another incident, an elderly woman was assaulted and repeatedly stabbed. In both cases, no theft occurred. These attacks are not motivated by poverty alone.

In a notable 2023 incident, assailants chanted 'Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer' as they stabbed their victim. But these aren’t fringe slogans—some South African leaders chant the same words to cheering crowds.

In one case, graffiti praising these leaders was painted on a farmhouse before its owners were brutally attacked. Despite this, as @POTUS highlighted earlier this year, many South African leaders have failed to condemn the song.

The international community and mainstream media have decided to remain silent on this issue. Rejecting this moral failure, the United States condemns these brutal attacks and stands with all South Africans working to build a peaceful and more prosperous country.”

Dr. Roets emphasized the significance of the statement, noting that it signals a clear intention by the U.S. government to move beyond merely offering refuge to South African citizens.
“It is clear that the collapse of South Africa would have far-reaching consequences—not only for the southern African region, but for the entire continent. This would inevitably create a geopolitical crisis, triggering renewed waves of emigration from Africa into the West while opening the door for adversaries of the West to expand their influence in Africa,” Roets said. “The crisis in South Africa is therefore not a matter the Western world can afford to ignore.”

Earlier this week, Lex Libertas released a comprehensive report evaluating the crisis in South Africa and outlining concrete actions the international community could take to support stability.
“It remains our position that the most important element of any long-term solution is the decentralization of the South African political system, to allow for greater autonomy and self-governance,” Roets concluded.

Lex Libertas is a think tank and advocacy group working toward a viable political dispensation for the peoples of South Africa based on freedom, decentralization, and self-governance.

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