Two CNN reporters have produced an explosive report into the far-right faction of South African politics, after spending time in the country and interacting with the Suidlanders.

For the uninitiated, Suidlanders are a group of white South Africans preparing for a race war initiated by black citizens. The investigation – carried out by David McKenzie and Brent Swails – doesn’t just look at a group getting ready for doomsday, though.

The pair conclude that the extreme-right-wing beliefs held by some people in Mzansi are driven by “victimhood”. They claim that a wide range of popular social media accounts, YouTube commentators and even AfriForum supporters are all too happy to push the “white genocide” narrative.

What motivates far-right “victimhood”

Fuelled by the issue of farm murders, this alleged crimewave – which accounts for 0.3% of all murders in South Africa – ticks all the boxes for attention-grabbing pleas. In fact, it was this topic that piqued Donald Trump’s interest back in August, where he tweeted about the “large-scale killings” of landowners.

An official of a South African intelligence agency described how this “victimhood” technique is being cultivated by far-right influencers:

“The online strategy and propaganda of the Suidlanders uses the same tactics as terrorist groups for recruiting members – they make themselves seem like the oppressed, and act as the victims.”

Heidi Beirich is the director of the Southern Poverty Law Centre’s (SPLC’s) Intelligence Project. She delivered a damning critique to the broadcaster, comparing this type of behaviour to Adolf Hitler’s actions:

“It is this idea that white people are the victims instead of the aggressors of these processes. But, of course, you have to sell that narrative. You want to be the victim, you don’t want to be the aggressor, or you will get no sympathy. It is like Holocaust deniers trying to minimize the genocide of Jews to salvage Hitler’s ideas.”

CNN: Why South Africa is targeted by far-right commentators

Over the past few years, South Africa has become a target for international right-wing commentators. Canadian YouTuber Lauren Southern made a documentary about farm murders earlier this year, while rent-a-gob Katie Hopkins also came over to stir the “white genocide” pot.

It’s been said countless times by numerous research bodies, but farm murders are not seen as racial crimes. Farmers are targeted because of personal wealth and their usually-remote locations, and more importantly, it isn’t exclusively white farmers who are being killed in these situations.

You can read the scintillating report from CNN here.