The Systemic Marginalization of White South Africans: A First-Hand Perspective

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Without Compensation (EWC) bill into law last week, drawing global attention. But EWC is just one piece of a systemic campaign against the white minority in South Africa that has been ongoing for over thirty years.

As a South African who has lived and worked in the country and now observes from Europe, I’ve witnessed this firsthand, both through personal experience and as a businessman.

The Reality for White South Africans

Despite South Africa’s deep struggles, the white minority still holds certain advantages, especially in education and family structure.

Education & Family Stability: White South Africans, especially Afrikaners, tend to be conservative and Christian-value based. They typically benefit from stable home environments and higher education levels. For instance, the school dropout rate among white students is significantly lower, at around 10% compared to approximately 40% for black students (Stats SA, 2023).
Jobs & Social Stability: Unemployment among white South Africans stands at around 8%, starkly contrasting with the national average of 36% (Q3 2024 Labour Force Survey, Stats SA). Issues like teenage pregnancy and father absence are also less prevalent in this demographic.

These numbers tell a story but they don’t mean white South Africans are thriving. In a country where government policies actively target them, survival is becoming a battle.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Over the past decades, wealth has been shifting from whites to blacks, driven by policies like Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). Today, over 60% of South Africa’s wealth assets is in black hands, and the black middle class now outnumbers the entire white population (Momentum-Unisa Household Finance Survey 2023).

At the same time, the demographic landscape has changed dramatically. The black population has grown from 30 million in 1994 to 50 million in 2025 - a staggering 20 million increase. Meanwhile, the white population has shrunk from 5 million to 4.5 million. With the economy stagnating, South Africa now suffers one of the highest unemployment rates in the world.

The African National Congress’s (ANC) failures like rampant corruption, economic mismanagement, and the failure to provide stable electricity have only made things worse. Yet, President Ramaphosa has attributed thirty years of ANC government failures to "the legacy of apartheid" while continuing to reinforce the Marxist policies that have contributed to the current crisis. Instead of adequately improving the lives of their own citizens, the ANC shifts the blame onto white people and intensifies efforts to undermine them further.

The Systematic Attack on White South Africans

White South Africans are under siege on multiple fronts; culturally, economically, and even physically. The government’s policies and actions are erasing their identity, limiting opportunities, and putting lives at risk.

Identity and Cultural Erasure: The ANC is wiping out white South African history by renaming towns and streets, erasing any trace of a shared past. This isn’t "transformation". It’s cultural vandalism.
Education Under Attack: The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) bill centralizes control over schools, threatening Afrikaans institutions, some of the country’s best-performing schools. These institutions have long preserved culture and provided top-tier education, but the government is actively undermining them.
Healthcare Crisis: The National Health Insurance (NHI) act seeks to dismantle private healthcare. This will degrade medical services across the board, reducing access to quality care.
Property Seizures: The EWC bill grants the government the power to seize private land without compensation. White-owned farms, many held for generations, are now at serious risk, despite the economic devastation this will cause.
Job Discrimination: Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) quotas make it increasingly difficult for white South Africans to get jobs or promotions. Race is prioritized over merit, pushing skilled individuals out of the workforce.
Business Exclusion: Companies with poor BEE scores, often white-owned, are barred from government contracts, no matter their expertise. This stifles competition and forces capable businesses to shut down.
University Admissions Blocked: Race quotas create significant barriers for white students seeking university admission. At many faculties, the acceptance rate for white applicants is below 20% (Universities South Africa, 2024), and in some cases, even lower. For instance, the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s medical school receives over 8,300 applications for just 250 spots each year. Its admissions policy enforces racial quotas for first-year MBChB students, which are as follows: Black African: 69%; Indian: 19%; Coloured: 9%; White: 2%; and Other: 1%.
Farm Murders Ignored: White farmers are facing an alarming rise in brutal attacks and murders, yet the government does nothing to improve farm security. While no direct government involvement has been proven, political leaders have defended inflammatory songs like "Kill the Boer." During an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2018, Ramaphosa stated that there were "no killings of farmers in South Africa". A categorical lie.

These actions and policies are not about equality; they are part of a calculated effort to marginalize an entire group of people.

The World Must Wake Up

The EWC isn’t just about land. It’s part of a broader agenda that targets and punishes an entire group based on race. South Africa is systematically marginalizing its white minority through policies designed to erase their role in the nation’s history and strip them of opportunities.

The world cannot remain silent. International pressure is needed now to push South Africa toward genuine equality, not a system of reverse discrimination that only deepens racial divides.

Rieb van Janbeeck

South African Businessman | Statistics Expert