South Africa slams U.S. human rights report as 'inaccurate, deeply flawed'

South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has denounced the "South Africa 2024 Human Rights Report" issued by the United States as inaccurate and deeply flawed, saying that it fails to reflect the reality of the country's constitutional democracy.

"The report's reliance on contextual information and discredited accounts is highly concerning. It cites an incident involving the deaths of farm workers and, despite the matter being actively adjudicated by our independent judiciary, misleadingly presents it as an extrajudicial killing," DIRCO said.

The 21-page report, released by the U.S. government on Wednesday, claims that "the human rights situation in South Africa significantly worsened during the year," following the expropriation of land belonging to Afrikaners and "abuses against racial minorities."

It also alleged that there had been "extrajudicial killings," citing media reports of criminal suspects killed in shoot-outs with police, particularly in the country's KwaZulu-Natal Province.

DIRCO refuted the claim, saying that it is not only premature but a fundamental distortion of the facts, as the individuals are formally arraigned before a court of law.

"Similarly, incidents of police using force are mentioned without acknowledging the robust processes in place, where institutions designed to protect our democracy are actively investigating whether due process was followed and if such force was warranted," said the department.

Additionally, it noted the report's position on the Expropriation Act and how it differs from that of the United Nations, pointing out that the UN Human Rights Office has described the act as "a critical step in addressing the country's racially imbalanced land ownership."

(Cover: A general view of the Johannesburg CBD cityscape taken from Linbro Park near Johannesburg, South Africa, May 4, 2025. /VCG)