BBC Faces Backlash Over Alleged Bias in Coverage of White Farmer Killings in South Africa

[Social Media]

 

Title: BBC Faces Backlash Over Alleged Bias in Coverage of White Farmer Killings in South Africa

 

The BBC has come under fire from South African businessman Robert Hersov, who accused the broadcaster of downplaying violence against white farmers in South Africa and exhibiting what he called a “Leftist” bias in its reporting. Hersov, a vocal critic of the African National Congress (ANC) and the current state of affairs in his home country, condemned the BBC for what he sees as one-sided journalism lacking in nuance. “There is no nuance in their coverage – they are just Leftist,” he said, adding that the organization “should be disbanded.”

 

Hersov's comments come in response to a BBC article about a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. During their Oval Office meeting, Trump reportedly surprised Ramaphosa by dimming the lights and showing video clips he claimed proved the existence of a “genocide” against white farmers in South Africa. The BBC covered the incident under the headline “Ramaphosa keeps cool during Trump’s choreographed onslaught,” and dismissed the genocide claims as “discredited,” describing them as originating “among Right-wing groups” and circulated through “misleading information online.”

 

 

In stark contrast, Hersov argued that Trump was “100 per cent right” in raising concerns. “What’s going on in South Africa, driven by the ANC, is evil, egregious, pernicious and a real threat not just to minorities in South Africa, but to Western civilisation,” he said. Citing crime statistics, he added, “It is three times more likely to be killed in South Africa being a farmer than being a policeman... the most dangerous job in South Africa by far is being a farmer.” He accused the ANC government of sweeping the issue under the rug by attributing it to general crime levels in the country.

 

Trump’s claims were echoed by Elon Musk, who has also used social media to voice fears about a white genocide in South Africa. However, a South African high court ruled earlier this year that such claims are imaginary. During the White House meeting, Ramaphosa responded to Trump’s assertions by stating, “This is not government policy,” after viewing footage purportedly showing black South Africans singing “kill the Boer.”

 

Despite Ramaphosa being flanked by Afrikaner billionaire Johann Rupert and former golfer Ernie Els, Hersov insisted that the ANC’s approach is fundamentally discriminatory. “The ANC, for 30 years, have destroyed South Africa’s economy, broken South Africa’s democracy,” he said. “Cyril Ramaphosa is 100 per cent responsible for the destruction of our economy and for the anti-white racism that is pervasive.”

 

In a striking comparison, Hersov invoked the "10 stages of genocide" framework, suggesting that several of these stages are evident in South Africa today. “Even though there isn’t an extermination on a broader scale, like the Nazis with the Jews, a lot of what is happening has taken place not just against farmers, but against minorities. And not just against white minorities, but against whites, coloureds, Indians, Jews and Afrikaners,” he said.

 

Trump’s administration took these concerns seriously, accepting 59 white South Africans as refugees earlier this month. Washington also expelled South Africa’s ambassador, accusing him of being a “race-baiting politician” who harbored animosity toward the U.S. and its then-president. Trump went further in his criticism, accusing the South African government of “taking people’s land” and allowing those individuals “to be executed. They’re being executed and they happen to be white, and most of them happen to be farmers, and that’s a tough situation.”

 

While Trump’s stance was welcomed by some, experts in South Africa continue to argue that there is no specific campaign targeting white individuals. They point out that farmers of all races are frequent victims of violent crime in a country with one of the highest crime rates globally. Ramaphosa had hoped the Oval Office meeting would help repair strained U.S.–South Africa relations, which have hit a low not seen since the days of apartheid.

 

The BBC has declined to comment on the criticism leveled against its coverage.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Telegraph  2025-05-24

 

 

 

 

[Celsius]

37 minutes ago, Social Media said:

There is no nuance in their coverage – they are just Leftist,” 

 

 

[impulse]

It paints a different picture when you see the names and the photos on each of the crosses, eh?

 

[Quentin Zen]

Knew a few S. Africans in Thailand.  Some would tell me not only that white farmers are getting murdered, but the way was barbaric.  Dismembering, rape, Vlad the Impaler stuff/Hanibal Lector stuff, really sick.....now, of course, maybe these guys made it up or stretched the truth and I'm sure they weren't there.  Did a quick Google search, can't really find anything.......anyhow, they were pretty worked up over it.  

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

It paints a different picture when you see the names and the photos on each of the crosses, eh?

 

Reading the text accompanying the picture informs that it is indeed ‘painting a picture’.

 

 

[newbee2022]

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

South African businessman Robert Hersov

Looking for attention? Idiot 

[mikeymike100]

Ramaphosa is worth around half a BILLION US dollars, he went to see Trump to beg for money, cos his country , SA, has almost 40% unemployment and he cant feed everyone.

Instead he git a wake up call!!

The BBC covered the incident under the headline “Ramaphosa keeps cool during Trump’s choreographed onslaught,

Well at least the BBC didn't use the word 'ambush' like so many other MSM did?😂

 

[FlorC]

Feel sorry for (some) Brits .

 

The BBC TV licence is a fee required for households in the UK to watch or record live television broadcasts and to use BBC iPlayer. As of April 2025, the cost is £174.50 per year, and the funds support BBC programming and services.

 

174,50  for garbage.

[Hamus Yaigh]

3 minutes ago, FlorC said:

Feel sorry for (some) Brits .

You shouldn't, they just laugh in disbelief at you.

[NickyLouie]

BBC loves all those Muzzies in London tho ......

[Chomper Higgot]

8 minutes ago, FlorC said:

Feel sorry for (some) Brits .

 

The BBC TV licence is a fee required for households in the UK to watch or record live television broadcasts and to use BBC iPlayer. As of April 2025, the cost is £174.50 per year, and the funds support BBC programming and services.

 

174,50  for garbage.

It would be so much better if it were owned by a billionaire, perhaps a foreign billionaire?

 

The BBC is hated by some on the right precisely because it broadcasts news and documentaries that expose stuff they would rather were replaced by ‘celebrity gossip’ or ‘fluff pieces’ for the rich and famous.

A national media not controlled by the Murdochs and Musks of this world is a very good thing.

 

[Hamus Yaigh]

 

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

The BBC has come under fire from South African businessman Robert Hersov,

 

 

Hersov’s critique is flawed due to its inflammatory tone, lack of evidence, reliance on discredited claims, omission of broader crime context, and potential bias stemming from his own ideological stance.

 

The BBC article covered a 2020 protest in South Africa following the murder of farmers Glen and Vida Rafferty, where crosses were placed along a highway as a memorial, not graves. Donald Trump misrepresented this footage in a May 2025 Oval Office meeting with Cyril Ramaphosa, claiming it showed "burial sites" of over 1,000 white farmers, fueling a discredited "white genocide" narrative.

 

The BBC article clarified that the crosses were symbolic, not graves, and quoted a local farmer, Rob Hoatson, confirming it was a temporary memorial. The narrative of mass graves and genocide was debunked, as South African police data shows only 44 farm-related murders in 2024, with no evidence of racial targeting.

[JackGats]

BBC = British Bullshyting Corporation. Hornet's nest of feminist, woke, third-worldist, misandric, climate-change alarmist agitprop.

 

This is a pity because it used to be good. In what seems so long ago I used to spend endless hours listening to Radio 4 on long waves (and to the World Service on short waves).

[bendejo]

1 hour ago, Quentin Zen said:

Knew a few S. Africans in Thailand.  Some would tell me not only that white farmers are getting murdered, but the way was barbaric.  Dismembering, rape, Vlad the Impaler stuff/Hanibal Lector stuff, really sick.....now, of course, maybe these guys made it up or stretched the truth and I'm sure they weren't there.  Did a quick Google search, can't really find anything.......anyhow, they were pretty worked up over it.  

 

I was there for a few weeks in 2010.  Yes, these things are reported in the newspapers.  Articles will include apologies for lacking details because they are too foul to print (can't recall the exact use of words).  The women being raped while the men are forced to watch seemed ok to print. 

In one case there was an Asian mob guy and his goons, pulled into a township in his gold Mercedes to collect his baksheesh.  It didn't go well.  Again apologies for not being able to print, but they did manage to leave me with the impression the locals turned them into a pile of mince with their swords.

 

I don't follow SA news much, but I do believe a Big Bang is due, and it will be tribe vs tribe.  In recent times there have been violent cleanups (sometimes vigilante) of people from other African countries, especially Nigerians.  As for the whites, you can guess what will become of them.

 

[Chomper Higgot]

The genocide of white South African farmers myth exposed as the lie it is

 

“South African police recorded 26,232 murders nationwide in 2024, of which 44 were linked to farming communities. Of those, eight of the victims were farmers.”

 

So 8  South African farmers murdered in 2024 equating to 0.03% of all murders in that year.

 

 

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-makes-false-claims-white-genocide-south-africa-during-ramaphosa-meeting-2025-05-21/

 

 

[WDSmart]

I agree that any violence against White farmers in South Africa is despicable, but, like most of the problems in the world today, history plays a big role. In this case, how do you think this land was taken from the native. Black South Africans by White immigrants in the first place? 🥺

[Rimmer]

An off topic post and a reply have been removed

[mikeymike100]

55 minutes ago, FlorC said:

Feel sorry for (some) Brits .

 

The BBC TV licence is a fee required for households in the UK to watch or record live television broadcasts and to use BBC iPlayer. As of April 2025, the cost is £174.50 per year, and the funds support BBC programming and services.

 

174,50  for garbage.

Yes, however many folks are now not paying the fee, as they are not watching live TV, or using iplayer. Its perfectly legal.

Thing is in 2025 why is the BBC living in the 20th century?

[JackGats]

South Africa was black Africa's success story. Now it seems to be intent on becoming a basket case too:

 

https://www.amazon.de/Fall-University-Cape-Town-university-ebook/dp/B09L96NJRK

 

Quote: "Destructive forces have been eroding the University of Cape Town, Africa’s leading university. This book tells the sad, true tale of what has been transpiring. It is a saga of lunacy, criminality, pandering, and identity politics. The mad and the bad – the deranged, deluded, the depraved – have been granted endless latitude in bullying and abusing others."

 

Racial identity catharsis is contraproductive enough in Western countries, it's even worse when it's fueled by a country's racial majority.

[mikeymike100]

57 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It would be so much better if it were owned by a billionaire, perhaps a foreign billionaire?

 

The BBC is hated by some on the right precisely because it broadcasts news and documentaries that expose stuff they would rather were replaced by ‘celebrity gossip’ or ‘fluff pieces’ for the rich and famous.

A national media not controlled by the Murdochs and Musks of this world is a very good thing.

 

Maybe 25 years ago you would be correct, now they are not broadcasting news, but opinions.

They have broken the Royal Charter so many times, because they are not impartial, but biased. Not just on the ongoing conflict in Gaza, but Brexit, Climate Change, Syria, etc

No precise count exists, but thousands of complaints annually allege bias, with notable peaks (e.g., over 11,000 for the 2009 Gaza appeal decision, 2,000 for a 2023 Conservative bias claim, and 1,500+ alleged guideline breaches in 2023-2024 Israel-Hamas coverage)

[ronster]

58 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The genocide of white South African farmers myth exposed as the lie it is

 

“South African police recorded 26,232 murders nationwide in 2024, of which 44 were linked to farming communities. Of those, eight of the victims were farmers.”

 

So 8  South African farmers murdered in 2024 equating to 0.03% of all murders in that year.

 

 

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-makes-false-claims-white-genocide-south-africa-during-ramaphosa-meeting-2025-05-21/

 

 

Sure your post will be removed for stating facts as was mine 🙄🙈

[stevenl]

I'll believe the many seemingly unbiased opinions i have read on this over this one.

[JonnyF]

No surprise that the left would side with the perpetrators of racial genocide.

 

They always back the wrong horse.  They are morally bankrupt. 

 

[impulse]

1 hour ago, Hamus Yaigh said:

South African police data shows only 44 farm-related murders in 2024, with no evidence of racial targeting.

 

Honest question... 

 

Is South African police data credible?

 

[Homburg]

BBC biased?  

 

Surely not.  Say it isn't so!

[stevenl]

3 minutes ago, Homburg said:

BBC biased?  

 

Surely not.  Say it isn't so!

BBC has stayed center, where it has mostly been. But society has moved further right, under influence of extreme rightwing opinions.

[JonnyF]

22 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Honest question... 

 

Is South African police data credible?

 

 

SA police are one of the most corrupt in the world. They probably do the killings as well while off duty. 

 

I got threatened with 6 months in jail in cape town for drinking a beer between 2 pubs 100 metres apart. 

 

Obviously 10 dollars solved the issue. He even let me keep the beer. 

[daveAustin]

1 hour ago, WDSmart said:

I agree that any violence against White farmers in South Africa is despicable, but, like most of the problems in the world today, history plays a big role. In this case, how do you think this land was taken from the native. Black South Africans by White immigrants in the first place? 🥺

Time to move on dude. All ancient history. Or perhaps everybody should move back to their respective home countries. In the long run, wonder how that would work out for third world places with no input from more advanced peoples…
 

Of the bbc, they do tend to bias on things of this nature. It’s got to be spot on though, with sources ‘n such properly verified or it’s just hearsay and discredits itself. But, yes, they are no longer down the middle. Still churn out cracking docos and period drama. 

[Bkk Brian]

4 hours ago, Quentin Zen said:

Knew a few S. Africans in Thailand.  Some would tell me not only that white farmers are getting murdered, but the way was barbaric.  Dismembering, rape, Vlad the Impaler stuff/Hanibal Lector stuff, really sick.....now, of course, maybe these guys made it up or stretched the truth and I'm sure they weren't there.  Did a quick Google search, can't really find anything.......anyhow, they were pretty worked up over it.  

Actually quite a bit over the years if you dig in. The problem is there's very little data, its all controlled by SA so what comes out can be limited. There are so many variables. How disproportionate is it? What are the reasons for attacks/murders, criminality? Yes mainly for all the black farmers but not for the whites where racism is the motive?

 

Here's just a couple, plenty more. Of course the BBC will not cover this, if its to do with Trump then they'll be as bias as possible.

 

 

Farm murders highlight apartheid's toxic legacy in South Africa

ERMELO, South Africa (Reuters) - In a country cursed by one of the world's highest murder rates, being a white farmer makes a violent death an even higher risk.
Whether attacks have been motivated by race or robbery, a rising death rate from rural homicides is drawing attention to the lack of change on South Africa's farms nearly two decades after the end of apartheid - and to the tensions burgeoning over enduring racial inequality.
Some of South Africa's predominantly white commercial farmers go as far as to brand the farm killings a genocide.

https://archive.ph/CbLHQ

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-farming-crime/farm-murders-highlight-apartheids-toxic-legacy-idUSBRE8AS02120121129/

 

 

White farmers 'being wiped out'

Over 3,000 have been killed since 1994. Now the ANC is accused of fanning the hate.

Inside his farmhouse Pieter Cillier, 57, slept with his 14-year-old daughter Nikki at his side. His 12-year-old son JD was having a sleepover with two teenagers in an adjoining room.

As the intruders broke in, the farmer woke. He rushed to stop them, only to be shot twice in the chest.

In his death throes he would have seen his killers and then his children standing over him, screaming and crying.

Cillier’s murder, at Christmas, was barely reported in the local press. It was, after all, everyday news.

https://web.archive.org/web/20100603141223/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article7078730.ece

 

 

 

 

 

[impulse]

17 minutes ago, stevenl said:

BBC has stayed center, where it has mostly been. But society has moved further right, under influence of extreme rightwing opinions.

 

Center of what?

 

It's good to remember that this whole kerfuffle is about granting asylum requests.  Which the SA gub'ment is resisting on account of brain drain.