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Daily Maverick
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
US decision to resettle Afrikaner refugees is ‘misinformed', says Cabinet
The Minister in the Presidency says South Africa is 'not worried' about the meeting scheduled between President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump next week, saying it is 'confident that the invitation comes from a good place'. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says the Cabinet considers the US' decision to grant refugee status to a group of 59 Afrikaners is 'misinformed'. Speaking to reporters at a post-Cabinet meeting press conference on Thursday, 15 May, Ntshavheni said: 'The decision by the United States to confer refugee status to a group of Afrikaner South Africans is misinformed, as they do not fit the definition of refugees as set out in the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. 'Cabinet further reiterated that allegations of discrimination are unfounded and do not meet the threshold of persecution required under domestic and refugee law.' The first group of white Afrikaners claiming to have faced persecution in South Africa who have been granted refugee status by the US arrived in Washington on Monday, 12 May. Their arrival follows an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump in February, in which he authorised his administration to 'prioritise' the admission and resettlement of Afrikaners in the US 'who are victims of unjust racial discrimination'. In the weeks that followed, the Trump administration deployed teams to Pretoria to screen white South Africans for consideration, studying more than 8,000 requests from people expressing interest in becoming refugees and eventually identifying 100 Afrikaners who could possibly be approved, according to a New York Times report. As Cabinet, we express the view that there are no refugees – they do not meet the criteria for refugee status, there is no violence against farmers. Welcoming the 'refugees' on Monday evening, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau claimed that they had been 'living under a shadow of violence and terror' in South Africa. Pretoria has repeatedly denied that Afrikaners face persecution in South Africa. As International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola and others have stated, there is no evidence that white farmers are being singled out for murder. Trump's accusations that their land is being confiscated followed the recent passage of the Expropriation Act, which allows the government to expropriate land without compensation in some circumstances, Daily Maverick reported. But so far the Act has not been used. Trump's allegations of a 'genocide' against white farmers in South Africa are not borne out by the data either. 'Moreover, the South African Police Service statistics on farm-related crimes do not support allegations of violent crime or genocide targeted at farmers generally or any race group,' Ntshavheni told repoters. The minister in the Presidency was unable to answer questions from reporters on when the next group of 'refugees' would be leaving South Africa, saying: 'It's not our job to be briefing on when they're moving. You must go to Mr Kallie Kriel and his AfriForum and Solidary… for those updates. 'Our job is just to make sure when they leave, they don't leave any debt; they don't leave any crime in the country. And we all know that the reasons that they are leaving are not true. As Cabinet, we express the view that there are no refugees – they do not meet the criteria for refugee status, there is no violence against farmers,' she said. Ntshavheni questioned how many of the 59 refugees were actually farmers. Ramaphosa's working visit to the US The arrival of the 'refugees' in America and the continued deterioration of diplomatic relations between South Africa and the US comes as President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to visit the US next week, between 19 and 22 May. Ramaphosa is expected to meet Trump at the White House on Wednesday, 21 May, to discuss 'bilateral, regional and global issues of interest', his office said this week. While Ramaphosa is expected to pitch a trade deal to Trump, Ntshavheni was scant on the details of this potential package and who would be part of Ramaphosa's delegation in Washington. There is no one who invites a guest to mistreat them, so we are expecting the highest level of decorum and necessary protocols to be afforded. 'But as the President has indicated, there will be a deal that we will offer, we will negotiate a package and that package will also be beneficial to South Africa,' she said. 'We cannot work against the interest of South Africa and its people.' Fielding questions on whether the government is worried about the visit after confrontations between Trump and other state leaders in recent months – most notably the disastrous meeting between the US president and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February – Ntshavehni said: 'We are not worried.' She confirmed that Ramaphosa had been invited by Trump, and said the government is 'confident that the invitation comes from a good place' with the intention to engage and clarify. 'We expect very cordial discussions, and as I've said previously, it doesn't mean there will not be differences,' she said. 'There is no one who invites a guest to mistreat them, so we are expecting the highest level of decorum and necessary protocols to be afforded. It doesn't mean we'll agree on all matters – we'll differ. But we believe that our relationship with the US is mutually beneficial.' US bans agencies from working on G20 On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that the White House National Security Council has ordered US agencies and departments to cease work on South Africa's G20, citing two people familiar with the issue. The move follows Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's public statements to boycott the summit in November over the claims that land is being expropriated under the Expropriation Act. In a press conference on Monday, Trump said he didn't know how he could attend the G20 summit, which South Africa is hosting in Johannesburg in November, 'unless that situation is taken care of'. Ntshavheni said the government had not received any official communication that the US would stop its involvement in South Africa's G20 processes. 'We've got sous sherpas and sherpas that that information would've come through. We have not received any communication from the US administration about such a ban – we are reading it from the media like everybody else. There has not been any official communication to ourselves,' she said. DM
IOL News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
SA Government rejects ‘refugee' label for Afrikaners resettled in US
The first group of Afrikaners from South Africa arriving for resettlement in the US Image: SAUL LOEB / AFP A group of 49 South African Afrikaners has officially been granted asylum in the United States and arrived on American soil this past week, prompting concern and condemnation from the South African government. The US cited ongoing racial discrimination, farm attacks, and threats of expropriation without compensation as the basis for offering refugee protection, calling it a humanitarian response to the 'persecution of Afrikaners'. In a statement, the United States government said, 'This tremendous accomplishment, at the direction of Secretary Rubio, responds to President Trump's call to prioritise U.S. refugee resettlement of this vulnerable group facing unjust racial discrimination in South Africa. We stand with these refugees as they build a better future for themselves and their children in the United States.' The US added that 'no one should have to fear having their property seized without compensation or becoming the victim of violent attacks because of their ethnicity,' noting that more Afrikaners will be welcomed in the coming months. The move, however, was met with sharp criticism in Pretoria. Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, confirmed that Deputy Minister Alvin Botes held a 'cordial discussion' with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on 9 May 2025, following engagements via diplomatic channels. 'The Government expressed concerns with the information conveyed that the United States has commenced with processing alleged refugees from South Africa and will begin resettling these citizens in the United States,' Phiri said. South Africa pointed to the internationally recognised 1951 Refugee Convention, which defines a refugee as someone with a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, social group, or political opinion. 'We reiterate that allegations of discrimination are unfounded. The South Africa Police Service statistics on farm-related crimes do not support allegations of violent crime targeted at farmers generally or any particular race,' said Phiri. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The U.S. granted refugee status to 49 white Afrikaners Image: Marco Longari / AFP He added that there are sufficient legal structures within the country to address any claims of discrimination and that such claims 'do not meet the threshold of persecution required under domestic and international refugee law.' AfriForum, the civil rights organisation who has previously spoken out about the farm murders in 2024, submitted a formal letter to the Minister of Police detailing a spate of brutal farm attacks between October and December that year. These included the murder of two women, aged 52 and 82, in Eikenhof; a 68-year-old man in Meyerton stabbed to death during a home invasion; a 32-year-old game farm manager shot dead in Parys; and the murder of a 41-year-old woman in Lydenburg. In Rouxville, a 56-year-old man was shot dead while his wife was abducted and later rescued. In Fouriesburg, a 56-year-old security guard was killed and a farmer hospitalised following a farm attack. A 45-year-old man was also murdered in Hendrina, and his elderly parents brutally assaulted. AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said, 'The fact that the first group of Afrikaners has now left the country as refugees is a serious indictment against the ANC-led government, which continues to refuse to condemn calls for violence against Afrikaners, such as 'Kill the Boer.'' He said the move was the result of state-led discrimination, including the Expropriation Act which allows land seizure without compensation. Several Afrikaners have previously marched in Pretoria, supporting President Donald Trump and calling for recognition like Israel. Image: X (Twitter) 'AfriForum is determined, together with our colleagues in the Solidarity Movement, to continue our efforts to help build a future for Afrikaners here at the southern tip of Africa,' said Kriel. 'We will continue our safety and cultural infrastructure projects and maintain links with Afrikaners abroad through our Wereldwyd network.' However, not everyone agrees with the US's framing of the situation. Political and international relations analyst, and Director of Surgetower Associates Management Consultancy, Siseko Maposa, said: 'It must be unequivocally underscored that individuals seeking refugee status in the US on grounds of persecution in South Africa have done so on demonstrably false, speculative, and misleading premises. A plain reading of the Expropriation Act, the purported catalyst for these claims, reveals no unchecked state power to confiscate land.' 'The Act permits expropriation without compensation only under stringent procedural safeguards, rendering arbitrary seizure legally and practically implausible. Moreover, there exists no empirical evidence, nor any credible government pronouncement, to substantiate claims of systematic, state-tolerated violence against Afrikaners – it is simply a swindle,' he added. Maposa warned that those who have left under refugee status may face difficulties in returning: 'Under the UN Refugee Convention, host nations – in this case the USA – cannot send them back if their life or freedom would be at risk. This is only permissible should the refugees voluntarily return and seek their home country's protection or choose to resettle, effectively revoking their refugee status.' He further suggested that the US action was not purely humanitarian: 'This entire matter is less about genuine humanitarian concern and more a calculated geopolitical manoeuvre. The US is attempting to artificially inflate perceptions of human rights violations against Afrikaners to justify international pressure and isolate South Africa from its BRICS allies, including Russia, China, and Iran.' Despite the tension, South Africa has confirmed it will not prevent citizens from leaving the country, citing the constitutional right to freedom of movement. However, Phiri said the government has sought assurances from the US on the status of the departing individuals — including whether they have been vetted to ensure they have no pending criminal cases. Weekend Argus
