Ramaphosa plans meeting with Donald Trump after 49 Afrikaners granted refugee status
President Cyril Ramaphosa is planning a meeting with United States President Donald Trump regarding the refugee status granted to a group of Afrikaners.
Image: GCIS
President Cyril Ramaphosa is planning a meeting with United States President Donald Trump regarding the refugee status granted to a group of Afrikaners.
The critical meeting comes in the wake of a recent chartered flight that transported 49 Afrikaners to the US, leading to questions about their eligibility for refugee status.
President Ramaphosa addressed the issue on Monday at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where he made it clear that the beleaguered migrants did not conform to the established criteria for individuals deserving of refugee protection.
Ramaphosa said he spoke to Trump on Monday afternoon and told him that he had been provided with false information.
"I told him I would like to come and meet him so that we can discuss this matter further," said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa said that he clarified some Afrikaners often resist change, preferring to uphold the remnants of apartheid-era practices.
On Monday morning, IOL reported that a chartered plane carrying 49 South African Afrikaners departed for the United States on Sunday night under Trump's offer for the 'discriminated' South African individuals and families to relocate.
The first batch of Afrikaner refugees left OR Tambo International Airport on a flight operated by the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based charter company Omni Air International, and are expected to land in Washington on Monday evening.
Speaking to broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola said the notion being peddled, that Afrikaners are being persecuted in South Africa, is false.
'We understand it is 49 people who have taken up the offer for refugee status in the United States. Just to be clear, the South African government unequivocally states that these are not refugees. In a country like ours, some of us went to schools where we were taught Afrikaans and by the way Afrikaans is still a medium of instruction and language in many of our schools,' said Phiri.
'We have judges, ministers, former mayors, we have streets named after Afrikaner heroes and Afrikaner nationals in the liberation context as well. To this day, you can drive on Voortrekker Street in any town in South Africa.
'This idea that Afrikaners are being persecuted is completely false, let alone the fact that Afrikaners are not just white people. There are also Africans who are Afrikaners, so this is something that we have stated quite unequivocally, that we contest the status of them being refugees. But we also said we are not going to stand in the way,' he said.
The group of 49 left the country on their South African passports and the government in Pretoria said there is no intention to deprive them of citizenship.
Phiri however highlighted that once the individuals are accepted into the United States refugee system, they cannot be returned to South Africa by the US government - for any reason.
[email protected]
IOL News
Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
32 minutes ago
- IOL News
Trump says Musk has 'lost his mind' as feud fallout mounts
US President Donald Trump said that Elon Musk had "lost his mind" but insisted he wanted to move on from the fiery split with his billionaire former ally. US President Donald Trump said that Elon Musk had "lost his mind" but insisted he wanted to move on from the fiery split with his billionaire former ally. The blistering public break-up between the world's richest person and the world's most powerful is fraught with political and economic risks all around. Trump had scrapped the idea of a call with Musk and was even thinking of ditching the red Tesla he bought at the height of their bromance, White House officials told AFP. "Honestly, I've been so busy working on China, working on Russia, working on Iran... I'm not thinking about Elon Musk, I just wish him well," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to his New Jersey golf club late Friday. Earlier, Trump told US broadcasters that he now wanted to focus instead on passing his "big, beautiful" mega-bill before Congress -- Musk's harsh criticism of which had sparked their break-up. But the 78-year-old Republican could not stop himself from taking aim at his South African-born friend-turned-enemy. "You mean the man who has lost his mind?" Trump said in a call with ABC when asked about Musk, adding that he was "not particularly" interested in talking to the tycoon. Trump later told Fox News that Musk had "lost it." Just a week ago, Trump gave Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after four months working there. 'Very disappointed' While there had been reports of tensions, the sheer speed at which their relationship imploded stunned Washington. After Musk called Trump's spending bill an "abomination" on Tuesday, Trump hit back in an Oval Office diatribe on Thursday in which he said he was "very disappointed" by the entrepreneur. Trump's spending bill faces a difficult path through Congress as it will raise the US deficit, while critics say it will cut health care for millions of the poorest Americans. The row then went nuclear, with Musk slinging insults at Trump and accusing him without evidence of being in government files on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump hit back with the power of the US government behind him, saying he could cancel the SpaceX boss's multi-billion-dollar rocket and satellite contracts. Trump struck a milder tone late Friday when asked how seriously he is considering cutting Musk's contracts. "It's a lot of money, it's a lot of subsidy, so we'll take a look -- only if it's fair. Only if it's to be fair for him and the country," he said. Musk apparently also tried to de-escalate social media hostilities. The right-wing tech baron rowed back on a threat to scrap his company's Dragon spacecraft -- vital for ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. And on Friday, the usually garrulous poster kept a low social media profile on his X social network. But the White House denied reports that they would talk. "The president does not intend to speak to Musk today," a senior White House official told AFP. A second official said Musk had requested a call. Tesla giveaway? Tesla stocks tanked more than 14 percent on Thursday amid the row, losing some $100 billion of the company's market value, but recovered partly on Friday. Trump is now considering either selling or giving away the cherry red Tesla S that he announced he had bought from Musk's firm in March. The electric vehicle was still parked on the White House grounds on Friday. "He's thinking about it, yes," a senior White House official told AFP when asked if Trump would sell or give it away. Trump and Musk had posed inside the car at a bizarre event in March, when the president turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla showroom after viral protests against Musk's DOGE role. But while Trump appeared to hold many of the cards, Musk also has some to play. His wealth allowed him to be the biggest donor to Trump's 2024 campaign, to the tune of nearly $300 million. Any further support for the 2026 midterm election now appears in doubt -- while Musk could also use his money to undermine Trump's support on the right. IOL News
eNCA
4 hours ago
- eNCA
Trump says Musk has 'lost his mind' as feud fallout mounts
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said that Elon Musk had "lost his mind" but insisted he wanted to move on from the fiery split with his billionaire former ally. The blistering public break-up between the world's richest person and the world's most powerful is fraught with political and economic risks all around. Trump had scrapped the idea of a call with Musk and was even thinking of ditching the red Tesla he bought at the height of their bromance, White House officials told AFP. "Honestly, I've been so busy working on China, working on Russia, working on Iran... I'm not thinking about Elon Musk, I just wish him well," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to his New Jersey golf club late Friday. Earlier, Trump told US broadcasters that he now wanted to focus instead on passing his "big, beautiful" mega-bill before Congress -- Musk's harsh criticism of which had sparked their break-up. But the 78-year-old Republican could not stop himself from taking aim at his South African-born friend-turned-enemy. "You mean the man who has lost his mind?" Trump said in a call with ABC when asked about Musk, adding that he was "not particularly" interested in talking to the tycoon. Trump later told Fox News that Musk had "lost it." Just a week ago Trump gave Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after four months working there. While there had been reports of tensions, the sheer speed at which their relationship imploded stunned Washington. After Musk called Trump's spending bill an "abomination" on Tuesday, Trump hit back in an Oval Office diatribe on Thursday in which he said he was "very disappointed" by the entrepreneur. Trump's spending bill faces a difficult path through Congress as it will raise the US deficit, while critics say it will cut health care for millions of the poorest Americans. The row then went nuclear, with Musk slinging insults at Trump and accusing him without evidence of being in government files on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump hit back with the power of the US government behind him, saying he could cancel the Space X boss's multi-billion-dollar rocket and satellite contracts. Trump struck a milder tone late Friday when asked how seriously he is considering cutting Musk's contracts. "It's a lot of money, it's a lot of subsidy, so we'll take a look -- only if it's fair. Only if it's to be fair for him and the country," he said. Musk apparently also tried to de-escalate social media hostilities. The right-wing tech baron rowed back on a threat to scrap his company's Dragon spacecraft -- vital for ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. And on Friday the usually garrulous poster kept a low social media profile on his X social network. But the White House denied reports that they would talk.
The Citizen
14 hours ago
- The Citizen
Top 10 stories of the day: K-word teacher loses labour case
Here's your daily news update for Friday, 6 June 2025: An easy-to-read selection of our top stories. In the news today, a teacher in the Northern Cape has failed in his attempt to return to work after being dismissed for using a racial slur against two black pupils. Meanwhile, the future of 49 South Africans who have taken up refugee status in the United States is uncertain, as developments in the White House point towards Donald Trump being disillusioned over the white genocide claims. Furthermore, National Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Shamila Batohi claims the National Prosecuting Authority has been infiltrated by those against the rule of law. Weather tomorrow: 7 June 2025 Weather conditions across South Africa will include frost in Gauteng and Mpumalanga, rain in the Western Cape, and isolated showers and wind in the Free State and Northern Cape. Full weather forecast here. Stay up to date with The Citizen – More News, Your Way. 'Using k-word is illegal': Northern Cape teacher fired for racist outburst loses reinstatement battle A teacher in the Northern Cape has failed in his attempt to return to work after being dismissed for using a racial slur against two black pupils. Gerhard Louw took the Northern Cape department of education to the Education Labour Relations Council, arguing that his dismissal was unfair. Picture: iStock At the time, Louw was employed at Technical High School Kimberley, where he taught technology and automotive subjects. He was dismissed in November last year after being found guilty at a disciplinary hearing of calling two African pupils the k-word. CONTINUE READING: 'Using k-word is illegal': Northern Cape teacher fired for racist outburst loses reinstatement battle Trump-Musk breakup: Will 49 'refugees' return to South Africa? The future of 49 South Africans who have taken up refugee status in the United States is uncertain, as developments in the White House point towards Donald Trump being disillusioned over the white genocide claims he has made about South Africa. On Thursday, a public spat broke out between Trump and South African-born billionaire Elon Musk. The two figures even made serious threats against each other on social media. The first group of Afrikaners from South Africa to arrive for resettlement in the US. Picture: Saul Loeb / AFP International relations expert Anthoni van Nieuwkerk told The Citizen the 49 refugees were in a precarious situation with the uncertainty of what Trump would do next. 'They will be left with no home and they might even want to return home, because if the appetite for accommodating Afrikaners goes away and it loses its importance, then those people will be left stranded. CONTINUE READING: Trump-Musk breakup: Will 49 'refugees' return to South Africa? WATCH: NPA 'infiltrated by those against the rule of law' – Batohi National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Advocate Shamila Batohi claims the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has been infiltrated by those against the rule of law. The NPA has recently come under fire for its handling of high-profile cases, including that of former Free State premier Ace Magashule's personal assistant and corruption co-accused, Moroadi Cholota, who was allowed to walk free. National Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Shamila Batohi. Picture: Gallo Images / Phill Magakoe The Free State High Court in Bloemfontein ruled that it does not have jurisdiction to try Cholota. The NPA has continued to stumble through a series of high-profile legal bungles, including the long-running Timothy Omotoso sex trafficking trial that has dragged on for years, and the Shepherd Bushiri extradition matter. CONTINUE READING: WATCH: NPA 'infiltrated by those against the rule of law' – Batohi Mpumalanga teen girl sends police on a hunt for her rapist, but she lied On Wednesday, Mpumalanga police were sent on a manhunt for two men who were driving a black VW Polo from Dullstroom to Lydenburg on Sunday on allegations of rape. However, this turned out to be a smokescreen. According to Brigadier Donald Mdhluli, a 16-year-old girl reported to police that she was hitchhiking on Sunday and got raped after being given a lift by strangers. Picture: iStock A case docket was opened and assigned to the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit for investigation. However, there was no rape case to investigate and consequently, no suspects to arrest because this was a fabricated story. Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane said on Friday that the 16-year-old girl had been charged with perjury after investigations revealed that she fabricated the entire story. CONTINUE READING: Mpumalanga teen girl sends police on a hunt for her rapist, but she lied Pick n Pay CEO receives the highest salary in retail. Here's how much others get At the top of the corporate ladder, the CEO stands as the face of pressure and power, a single person trusted with steering a company through stormy seas of inflation, consumer hesitancy and relentless competition. Those at the helm of retail companies are paid handsomely due to several factors, including qualifications, experience and responsibilities. These are the people whose vision keeps customers walking through the doors despite the crushing cost of living. Picture: Supplied The lowest-paid CEO in grocery retail is Marek Masojada, CEO of Boxer, with R5.6 million, while the highest-paid is Sean Summers, CEO of Pick n Pay, with R24.9 million. CONTINUE READING: Pick n Pay CEO receives the highest salary in retail. Here's how much others get Here are five more stories of the day: Yesterday's News recap READ HERE: Top 10 stories of the day: Kids hurt in jumping castle accident | Will SA run out of beef and chicken? | Rassie names nine new Boks
