AfriForum set to receive R16 million from the United States to address hateful rhetoric and violent acts against minority communities in South Africa

The United States has launched a $986,500 fund to document hateful rhetoric targeting minority populations in South Africa.

Numerous reports suggest that the non-governmental civil rights organisation AfriForum is set to receive this money to run the programme.

The U.S. Department of State published the Notice of Funding Opportunity related to this programme on 6 August 2026, with a 3 September 2026 application deadline.

It explained that while South Africa is considered one of Africa’s most developed countries, it continues to experience significant levels of violence and crime.

These crimes, the Department of State explained, include crimes affecting Afrikaner and other minority communities across the country.

“These minority populations face ongoing threats to their safety and security within a broader context of elevated crime rates,” it said.

“Minority communities experience distinct vulnerabilities that warrant focused attention and documentation.”

These vulnerabilities include a lack of policing resources, discriminatory government policies, and violent rhetoric.

This proposed program will seek to document hateful rhetoric and violent acts against minority communities and assess access to justice and law enforcement protection.

The funding will also go towards researching widespread violence affecting both minorities and the broader population in South Africa.

The implementing partner will conduct conflict-sensitive research and data collection to create a comprehensive record of violence.

This record will include violence affecting Afrikaner and other South African minority populations in line with international standards.

It will also develop recommendations for how to improve the law enforcement situation to ensure equal protection.

AfriForum set to receive the U.S. Department of State funding

ProPublica, an independent nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism, reported that AfriForum is set to receive $986,500 in funding.

It said that Samuel Samson, a deputy assistant secretary to the State Department bureau, said that the U.S. has a civilizational connection to Afrikaners.

“He has framed the U.S. government’s financial support for Afrikaners as grounded in a common heritage, a common culture, a common way of life,” it reported.

It also reported that Samson said the United States and the Afrikaners share a history and, ultimately, a common anthropology.

A senior State Department official said that the Trump Administration is concerned about the race-based discrimination and violence in South Africa.

“Human rights protections do not depend on a person’s income or ethnicity,” the State official said.

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said that the funding will go beyond the documentation of violence and discrimination against minority groups in South Africa.

“It will also be used for providing psychological support to victims of brutal torture on farms,” he said.