US President Donald Trump on Wednesday confronted South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa with claims of “white genocide” in South Africa and played him videos that allegedly prove his claim.

“They're white farmers and they're fleeing South Africa. And it's, you know, it's a very sad thing to see. But I hope we can have an explanation of that, because I know you don't want that,” Trump said.

For his part, Ramaphosa urged Trump to “listen to the voices of South Africans, some of whom are his good friends”, pointing to South Africa champion golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and South African billionaire Johann Rupert. All three - who are white - accompanied Ramaphosa to the meeting at the White House.

“I’m not going to be repeating what I've been saying. I would say if there was Afrikaner farmer genocide, I can bet you these three gentlemen would not be here, including my Minister of Agriculture,” the South African president said.

Trump asked White House staff to play a video allegedly pertaining to the genocide in South Africa.

"You do allow them to take land, and then when they take the land, they kill the white farmer, and when they kill the white farmer, nothing happens to them," Trump said.

He also showed news clippings that he said backed up his claims -- one of which actually featured a photo from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The South African president denied that his country confiscates land from white farmers under a land expropriation law signed in January that aims to redress the historical inequalities of apartheid rule.

He said most victims of South Africa's notoriously high crime rate are black.