A quiet rural road in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province has been thrust into global controversy after U.S. President Donald Trump mistakenly referred to it as a “burial site” for murdered white farmers. The P39-1 road, which connects Newcastle and Normandein, featured prominently in a video shown by Trump as he alleged a “genocide” against white South Africans. The video showed a series of white crosses along the roadside, which Trump claimed marked actual graves.
Local residents, however, are pushing back against this narrative. The BBC visited the area and confirmed that the crosses were part of a temporary memorial, not a graveyard. The memorial was erected by local Afrikaners following the 2020 murder of Glen and Vida Rafferty, a farming couple brutally killed during a robbery. The symbolic crosses were meant to highlight concerns about farm attacks, not serve as a literal burial site.
Farmer Roland Collyer, a relative of the Raffertys, explained that the memorial was designed to draw attention to the violence farmers face. “The crosses were symbolic,” he emphasized. Meanwhile, organizer Rob Hoatson acknowledged the emotional impact of the imagery but dismissed Trump’s claim as an exaggeration.
Despite the pain and fear stemming from such attacks, Collyer remains committed to South Africa, rejecting Trump’s offer of asylum for Afrikaners. “It’s not easy to leave what generations have built,” he said.
Local black residents, including longtime community member Bethuel Mabaso, expressed shock at the international attention and rejected the narrative of racial targeting. “This is a peaceful area,” he noted, adding that there’s been no similar violence since the Rafferty incident.
Farmworker Mbongiseni Shibe highlighted efforts to foster cooperation and understanding between black staff and white farm owners, stressing peaceful conflict resolution.
As the community reflects on being misrepresented, many like Collyer still hope for a united future. “If we can just join hands… black and white… we can make this country a success,” he said.
