White Genocide Row: Minister Ntshavheni Fights Solidarity's R500K Defamation Claim

• Trade union Solidarity is suing Minister Khumbudzo Ntshaveni for R500,000 over a Cabinet statement it says damaged its reputation
• The Cabinet statement accused Solidarity and AfriForum of running a misinformation campaign against the South African government
• Solidarity CEO Dirk Hermann denied the organisation spread misinformation about white genocide in South Africa

SOUTH AFRICA — Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshaveni is contesting a R500,000 defamation claim brought against her by trade union Solidarity, with the case set to be heard in the High Court next month.

Solidarity is seeking a court order compelling a retraction of a Cabinet statement published in March 2025, which alleged that Solidarity and AfriForum were actively engaged in a misinformation campaign targeting the South African government.

"Cabinet noted with concern the continuing misinformation campaigns that Solidariteit and AfriForum and their allies and law enforcement agencies are investigating the violations of SA laws," the statement read.

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The roots of the dispute

The Cabinet statement was issued after representatives from Solidarity and AfriForum travelled to Washington to meet with then-US President Donald Trump. That visit was followed by Trump threatening to cut funding to South Africa's health programmes. Solidarity had submitted a memorandum to Trump's administration arguing that farm murders in South Africa disproportionately affected the Afrikaner community and occurred at a significantly higher rate compared to the rest of the country.

Ntshaveni has argued that the farm murder statistics presented by the group are not supported by data from the South African Police Service. She further contended that the narrative Solidarity promoted contributed directly to Trump signing an executive order suspending refugee admissions, with a notable exception made for white South Africans, as well as cuts to HIV/Aids funding directed at South Africa.

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Solidarity denies misinformation claims

Solidarity CEO Dirk Hermann has rejected the allegation that the organisation spread misinformation about a white genocide in South Africa. Hermann further argued that the minister had failed to identify a single instance in which Solidarity had done so.

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The matter will be heard in court next month.

South Africans lash out at Minister Ntshavheni's comments

Briefly News reported that South Africans lashed out at Khumbudzo Ntshavheni over her comments about the country’s high youth unemployment rate. Ntshavheni, the Minister in the Presidency, sparked backlash online when she insisted that it was not the government's duty to create jobs for the youth. The minister made the comments at the 50th anniversary commemoration of the June 16 uprising in Soweto. Her comments come at a time when South Africa is battling one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world.

Source: Briefly News