49 Afrikaners headed to US can't simply return for a 'braai' and back
The first group of 49 Afrikaner 'refugees ' leaving South Africa for the US.
JOHANNESBURG - Department of International Relations (DIRCO) spokesperson Chrispin Phiri says it will not be easy for the 49 Afrikaners who left South Africa for the United States.
Whilst in the US, should anything arise, they will not have easy access to any diplomatic assistance from South Africa.
Their attempt to reach out or return to South Africa would be against international law and refugee laws, as one cannot simply return to a country where they claim persecution.
'They simply can't return home for a braai and go back,' says Phiri.
"Even the word itself refugee suggests that you are seeking refuge from a particular country.
"You cant be seeking refuge then go back home have a braai then go back to x country you are safer. It defeats the purpose of you being protected and under refuge of a particular country," he said.
To return, they would have to revoke their refugee status, which in itself would be a monumental task.
In February, after his return to the White House, US President Donald Trump accused the South African government of genocide.
He has also accused the government of dispossessing Afrikaner farmers of their land through the Expropriation Act.
DIRCO Minister Ronald Lamola has argued that the group of Afrikaners who have left do not qualify for refugee status.
He says the country's crime statistics do not support the argument that white farmers are being persecuted.
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