Claim: “After thirty years post-apartheid, Black South Africans make up over 80% of the population, yet only possess 4% of private land.”
Verdict: False. Cooper’s statistics have been challenged and may overstate racial inequalities.
CNN supports President Donald Trump’s assertions regarding the plight of white South Africans, claims rooted in misinformation and racism—acknowledged by the South African government.
This week, Anderson Cooper stated that Black South Africans own merely 4% of the nation’s privately held land. This claim has been frequently mentioned, but it is not accurate.
From CNN Transcripts:
I know of a white landowner who was killed on his farm a few years back, but that was a crime, not genocide. Recently, legislation was passed allowing the South African government to seize land without compensation, aiming to rectify the injustices stemming from apartheid. Supporters argue this move addresses the land taken from Black individuals.
Even though over 80% of the population is Black, they still own only 4% of private property. Regardless of your stance on the law, the government claims they haven’t confiscated any land just yet. The president labels it as genocide, but that’s false. Such statements ignore the experiences of countless people worldwide facing persecution, who might qualify for refugee status.
The Institute for Racial Relations in South Africa (IRR) has clarified that the 4% figure is incorrect. Early this year, they noted:
Misrepresentations of land ownership statistics skew public perception and discourse on the topic.
This is particularly evident in claims presented without proper context, indicating that 72% of farmland is owned by “white” individuals, not “black” individuals.
…
The 72%-4% statistic is derived from a 2017 land audit report, which pertains to individual freehold land recorded in official offices. It reveals that mixed-race individuals own 15% of this land, 5% belong to Indians, and 3% categorizes as “other.” However, this type of land only constitutes about one-third of all domestic land, often referred to as farmland but better understood as “rural” land since it’s not exclusively used for agriculture.
Land across South Africa—both urban and rural—is categorized as follows: Individual, 30.4%; Trust, 24%; State, 23%; Companies, 19%; Community-based organizations, 2.9%; and Joint ownership scheme, 0.7%. For the majority of land, racial identities are not applicable.
Terence Corrigan from the IRR remarks: “The narrative built around a 72%-4% division suggests that ‘nothing has changed,’ overshadowing the successes of conservative land reforms that occur mainly through community efforts rather than individual initiatives.”
In 2018, the IRR reported that Black South Africans actually own over 56% of urban land, according to a contentious 2017 land audit. The government data lacks clarity, reinforcing a narrative that politically exaggerates the differences between white and Black property ownership.
While it’s accurate that Black South Africans own a lower percentage of land compared to their white counterparts, asserting they own only 4% is false.
Even if this 4% figure were correct, the policy of land expropriation without compensation (recently allowed by new laws) raises significant moral and economic concerns. Cooper seems to treat this policy as entirely justified, while many individuals actually fear it, certainly not considering it “genocide.”
