Charlie Kirk Lied About South Africa. Now His Killing Shakes a Divided America

South Africans remember Charlie Kirk not for his politics in the United States, but for the lies he told about our country.

The American conservative activist spent years pushing the false and dangerous narrative that South Africa is experiencing a so-called “white genocide.” He used farm attacks and isolated incidents of violence to claim that white South Africans are being systematically targeted, a claim repeatedly disproven by human rights groups, independent researchers, and even farming organisations themselves.

His rhetoric was not only misleading but harmful. It fed international conspiracy theories, fueled racial fear, and distorted South Africa’s complex post apartheid reality into a weapon for far-right audiences in the United States and Europe.

Charlie Kirk, 31, was shot and killed on Wednesday at Utah Valley University during an outdoor political event hosted by his organisation, Turning Point USA. Authorities say the shooting was a targeted attack. Kirk died from a single gunshot wound. As of late Wednesday night, no suspects had been arrested, but police confirmed they are searching for a new person of interest.

“This is a dark day for our state. It is a tragic day for our nation,” said Utah Governor Spencer Cox. “I want to be very clear, this is a political assassination.”

Kirk was best known in the United States as a rising star of the far right. He was a close ally of President Donald Trump and helped build Turning Point USA into a powerful political movement among conservative youth. Critics accused him of promoting misinformation, attacking democratic institutions, and fueling hate speech.

His false claims about South Africa became a key talking point among American conservatives who believed their country was heading down a similar path. He described South Africa as a warning for white Americans — a distorted example used to justify anti-immigrant and anti Black sentiment back home.

“Charlie Kirk used our pain, our history, and our challenges to create fear in a country he barely understood,” said political analyst Professor Mark van Staden of the University of Johannesburg. “His lies about white genocide were not just inaccurate — they were dangerous.”

Following his death, right-wing groups in the United States have already begun using Kirk’s killing as a rallying cry. Several militia organisations have declared him a “martyr” and are calling for action against what they claim is a “war on conservatives.” Protests have broken out in multiple cities, including Atlanta and Dallas. The FBI has not yet confirmed whether the shooter had any political ties.

President Donald Trump has condemned the killing and called for calm, urging Americans not to let violence define political debate. Still, the atmosphere is tense. Many fear Kirk’s assassination could spark further unrest in a country already struggling with political division, misinformation, and rising extremism.

In South Africa, the reaction is mixed. While some have condemned the killing as an attack on democracy, many civil society voices are also reminding the world of the harm Kirk caused while alive.

“We do not celebrate any person’s death,” said Zanele Mbatha, spokesperson for the Human Rights Institute of South Africa. “But we will not pretend that Charlie Kirk was a friend to truth or to this country. He spread falsehoods that endangered lives and damaged our global image.”