Pretoria challenges Trump's plans to resettle Afrikaners as refugees

Daily Maverick

09-05-2025

Dirco has challenged the US government's plans to resettle Afrikaners as refugees, suggesting that the US claims of discrimination against them are baseless.
In a call with the US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Friday, 9 May, International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Alvin Botes challenged the assertion that Afrikaners qualify for refugee status, calling the allegations of discrimination against the group 'unfounded'.
'It is most regrettable that it appears that the resettlement of South Africans to the United States under the guise of being 'refugees' is entirely politically motivated and designed to question South Africa's (SA's) constitutional democracy; a country which has in fact suffered true persecution under apartheid rule and has worked tirelessly to prevent such levels of discrimination from ever occurring again, including through the entrenchment of rights in our Constitution, which is enforced vigorously through our judicial system.
'In addition, it is not clear how the principle of non-refoulement will be applied in relation to these citizens once they are resettled,' said Botes, according to a statement issued by the Department International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) on Friday evening.
Dirco said the conversation between Botes and Landau followed engagements via diplomatic channels where Pretoria had expressed concerns with information conveyed that Washington had begun processing alleged refugees from SA to resettle them in the US.
First group next week
On Friday, The New York Times reported that US President Donald Trump's administration is planning to bring the first group of white South Africans it has classified as refugees to the US as early as next week.
Although Trump halted nearly all other refugee admissions shortly after returning to the White House in January, the publication reported his administration has quickly put together a programme to allow white Afrikaners, who claim to be victims of government-sponsored, race-based discrimination, to be accepted in the US.
The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation confirms that Deputy Minister Alvin Botes held a cordial discussion with the United States Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on the 9th May 2025.
The discussion follows engagements via the diplomatic channels… pic.twitter.com/1StkYyFhvM
— Chrispin Phiri 🇿🇦 (@Chrispin_JPhiri) May 9, 2025
The Trump administration plans to send US government officials to Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia for an event marking the arrival of 54 Afrikaners to the US on Monday, according to The New York Times report.
Diplomatic ties between Pretoria and Washington have deteriorated significantly since Trump's return to the White House. (Read here, here and here.)
In February this year, the US president ordered that all US foreign assistance to SA be halted and that his administration promote the resettlement of 'Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored, race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation' in SA.
In an executive order, titled ' Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa ', Trump accused the South African government of, under the Expropriation Act, seizing 'ethnic minority Afrikaners' agricultural property without compensation', a claim Pretoria has repeatedly denied.
According to The New York Times report, soon after announcing that Afrikaners are eligible for refugee status, the Trump administration deployed teams to Pretoria to vet white South Africans for consideration, according to documents seen by the publication.
Of more than 8,000 requests from people who were interested in becoming refugees studied by the teams, the US government identified 100 Afrikaners who potentially could be approved, the report added.
Allegations of discrimination 'unfounded'
'South Africa acknowledges that the determination of refugee status requires a factual assessment in light of the prevailing circumstances, having due regard for both subjective and objective factors,' said Botes.
'We reiterate that allegations of discrimination are unfounded. The South Africa Police Services (SAPS) statistics on farm-related crimes do not support allegations of violent crime targeted at farmers generally or any particular race. There are sufficient structures available within South Africa to address concerns of discrimination. Moreover, even if there are allegations of discrimination, it is our view that these do not meet the threshold of persecution required under domestic and international refugee law,' he said.
'Through progressive judgements from the South African courts, particularly the Constitutional Court, our state has demonstrated a principled commitment to protect minorities and vulnerable groups, this shows the extent to which South Africa is working towards a country in which every citizen is free and protected.'
Botes said that through the diplomatic channels, Dirco had sought the status of people who would be departing, whether as asylum seekers, refugees or ordinary citizens; and assurances that they have been appropriately vetted by competent South African authorities to ensure that they do not have any outstanding criminal cases against them.
However, he added that while SA challenges the US' assessment of alleged refugee status, 'it will not block citizens who seek to depart the country from doing so, as it also observes their right of freedom of movement and freedom of choice, specifically the right to leave the country, as contained in Section 21(2) of the Constitution'. DM