Latest news with #DepartmentofInternationalRelationsandCooperation
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
More White Refugees Arriving In America: What to Know
More white Afrikaners from South Africa have arrived in America as refugees and Newsweek has broken down what you need to know. Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, the State Department and the South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, via email, for comment. A group of 59 people made headlines in May when they arrived on a chartered flight at Dulles International Airport in Virginia as party of the Afrikaner resettlement program. Donald Trump's administration believes that Afrikaners are being persecuted in South Africa as victims of racially-motivated violence – something vehemently denied by the South African government. The program came despite Trump's suspension of the State Department's refugee admissions program, which he said at the time was because the U.S. "lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees." A small group of Afrikaners, including children, quietly arrived in Atlanta on a commercial flight on Friday, said Jaco Kleynhans, head of Public Relations for the trade union Solidarity, which has helped some applicants with parts of the Afrikaner refugee process. "They are settling in states across the USA, but particularly southern states such as Texas, North and South Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska," Kleynhans told the South African media outlet Independent Online (IOL). This group consisted of nine people, according to the Associated Press which also cited Kleynhans. Several more groups are expected to fly to the U.S. over the next few weeks with the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria and the State Department in Washington, D.C., currently processing 8,000 applications, according to Kleynhans. A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy said: "Refugees continue to arrive in the United States from South Africa on commercial flights as part of the Afrikaner resettlement program's ongoing operations." The U.S. is "reaching out to eligible individuals for refugee interviews and processing," a spokesperson from the U.S. Mission to South Africa told local outlet News24. Nearly 50,000 South Africans have inquired about the resettlement program, the U.S. State Department told The New York Times. Kleynhanssaid: "The American refugee programs are paid for by American taxpayers and it is outrageous that international organizations and foreign groups think they can dictate to the Trump administration who should be eligible for refugee status. If Americans disagree with Trump on this, they can elect a different president in three years." South Africa's Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation has previously said in a statement about the issue: "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 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." South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters on May 17: "There's no genocide in South Africa. That is a fact that's borne out of a lot of evidence." White House deputy chief of staff and Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller defended the program to reporters, saying: "What's happening in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created. This is race-based persecution. The refugee program is not intended as a solution for global poverty, and historically, it has been used that way." More Afrikaners are expected to arrive in the United States, depending on the outcome of their refugee status applications. Applicants "must be able to articulate a past experience of persecution or fear of future persecution," a guide to the program says. 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Eyewitness News
2 days ago
- General
- Eyewitness News
DIRCO confirms full support being provided to family of SA woman murdered in US
CAPE TOWN - The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has confirmed that it was providing full support to the family of a South African woman who was murdered in the United States (US). It said that American authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding her murder. Kim White was found murdered in her Virginia home over the weekend and her husband has since been arrested.
IOL News
3 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
DIRCO defends policy change that will enable Musk's Starlink to operate in SA as 'in the national interest
Elon Musk. Bringing billionaire Elon Musk's controversial satellite internet system, Starlink, into South Africa's airspace is in the country's national interest because it will help meet its developmental goals Image: AFP Bringing billionaire Elon Musk's controversial satellite internet system, Starlink, into South Africa's airspace is in the country's national interest because it will help meet its developmental goals, said Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Alvin Botes. During a conference on illicit financial flows, mobilising domestic resources, and financing for development, hosted at SGN Grant Thornton's offices at the end of last week, Botes said that any trade agreement would be subordinate to the Constitution and must facilitate development. Botes also hinted at government's policy towards trade agreements with the United States following President Cyril Ramaphosa's meeting with Trump on May 21. He said that the county's policies are 'not subordinate to trade incentives'. The Deputy Minister added: 'We can only speak about what our constitutional imperatives are.' He explained that it was important that public debates were held as government effects changes in law when public opinion focuses on certain issues. However, Botes also said that the United States is South Africa's second largest trade partner as a country following China. 'It would be reckless to say we don't need the US,' he noted, speaking specifically about automotive exports. During Ramaphosa's meeting with Trump, which was televised, the United States President seemingly blindsided Ramaphosa by screening videos in which then EFF leader Julius Malema chanted 'kill the boer, kill the farmer'. 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 ✕ Ad Loading Trump has been targeting South Africa for what he sees as genocide, while Musk has publicly stated that the country has 'racist ownership laws,' which may deter him from investing here, including through Starlink. Recent proposed changes by Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, that will amend current laws governing the telecoms space has caused controversy and have been viewed as paving the way for Musk, who was previously close with US President Donald Trump, to operate his satellites in South Africa. Speaking to IOL on the sidelines of the SNG conference, Botes said trade agreements must be reconcilable with nation building. When specifically asked about Starlink, the Deputy Minister said government sought to get the best outcome for South Africans still suffering the consequences of the Apartheid era. Malatsi has proposed that the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) to reconsider its regulations on ownership of licences. This would include making use of alternatives to requiring companies to be 30% owned by historically disadvantaged individuals before that entity can be awarded spectrum. Botes pointed out that not all South Africans have access to the internet and Starlink will bridge these gaps in rural areas. A release from Statistics South Africa last week showed that the percentage of households who had access to the Internet through any other means increased from 28.0% in 2010 to 82.1% by 2024. Malatsi was 'invited' by the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies to explain these directives, which would essentially allow international companies to implement skills development, enterprise development, socio-economic investment, and Equity Equivalent Investment Programmes instead of ownership. The Committee said that these directives 'appear to be in contravention of the Electronic Communications Act and in favour of low earth orbit satellite provider SpaceX, which will be providing broadband services'. Space X operates Starlink.
IOL News
4 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
SA wants bold financial reforms to end Africa's debt crisis ahead of UN financing conference
Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Alvin Botes, said that debt must be sustainable and international development finance needs to be reimagined so that 'no school, clinic or innovator's dream is sacrificed on the altar of debt or indifference'. Image: Katlholo Maifadi / DIRCO News South Africa is calling for the upcoming 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) to be a catalyst for change in how international development finance is structured so that no African nation suffers crippling aid debt. Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Alvin Botes, said that debt must be sustainable and international development finance needs to be reimagined so that 'no school, clinic or innovator's dream is sacrificed on the altar of debt or indifference'. FfD4, to be held in Seville, Spain between June 30 and July 3, 'must close the financial divide, attack inequality at its root and operationalise the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact,' said Botes. FfD4, to be held under the auspices of the United Nations, seeks to address the urgent need to fully implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and support reform of the international financial architecture. Speaking at an event on illicit financial flows, mobilising domestic resources, and financing for development, hosted at SGN Grant Thornton's offices towards the end of last week, Botes also said that the global financing landscape is in disrepair. 'The G20 Common Framework has stalled, multilateral development banks deliver net negative flows, and unsustainable debt crowds out SDG spending,' the Deputy Minister said. South Africa, currently Presiding over the G20 until it hands the baton to the United States at the end of November, is ready to champion developing nations when it comes to their economic plight and unsustainable debt, said Botes. He noted that 43 of the world's 47 emerging nations are in Africa. 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 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. Next Stay Close ✕ 'The age of incrementalism has ended; the era of decisive, equitable and bold action begins now. South Africa is ready to lead, to support and to walk alongside every partner committed to justice, equity and shared progress,' Botes said. South Africa aims to use its Presidency to have the G20's Common Framework overhauled some five years after its creation during the COVID-19 pandemic as a mechanism to help relieve the economic impact caused by the plague. 'South Africa chairs this G20 year resolved to turn analysis into action and global consensus into ground-level change,' said Botes. Current international development financial frameworks are throttling emerging countries, which end up with unsustainable debt that 'crowds out' SDG spending, said Botes. He added that emerging markets need to 'participate equally in global decisions'. Botes also called for multilateral development banks to honour country ownership, credit rating agencies to reflect each country's fundamentals in their assessments and not prejudice them, and for developed economies to finally meet their Overseas Development Assistance and climate-finance commitments.
Daily Maverick
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Rhetoric vs reality — Trump touts himself as peacemaker, but actions against SA suggest otherwise
The highly anticipated, drama-packed bilateral meeting between presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Donald Trump at the White House on 21 May 2025 marked a critical juncture in the already deteriorating relations between South Africa and the US. Strained by a controversial executive order and differing views on violent crime, the meeting offered both leaders a chance to reset relations and find common ground. For Trump, it was also an opportunity to reinforce his image as a global peacemaker, though his confrontational approach raises doubts about this label. Executive order: Confrontation over collaboration On 7 February 2025, just 18 days into his second term, Trump signed the Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa executive order. Aimed at countering alleged human rights violations tied to South Africa's Expropriation Act, the order halts US aid, including Pepfar and USAID programmes, and promotes the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees fleeing 'racially motivated violence'. The US has already resettled 49 Afrikaners, with plans to accelerate and expand this initiative. South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation issued a statement on 8 February 2025 condemning the executive order as historically tone deaf and factually unfounded. It accused the Trump administration of ignoring South Africa's efforts at what it deems racial reconciliation and undermining its domestic legal processes. With the executive order as the backdrop, the White House meeting was expected to be less a diplomatic routine than a high-stakes political confrontation. Violent crime and divergent narratives The meeting's focus was violent crime in South Africa, particularly against white farmers. One week prior to the meeting, Trump controversially labelled the violence 'a slow genocide'. In the Oval Office, he presented Ramaphosa with a compilation of news articles, and a video of EFF leader Julius Malema chanting 'kill the Boer'. This set the agenda for the meeting, and other issues that may seem important for a bilateral meeting at this high-level such as trade, investment, tariffs and the G20 were set aside. The White House posted the video to its official X account, captioned: 'JUST SHOWN IN THE OVAL OFFICE: Proof of Persecution in South Africa.' Ramaphosa argued that crime is a national crisis affecting all South Africans, black and white alike, not a race-specific, state-sponsored campaign. The clash between the two leaders revealed not just disagreement over facts, but over the very lens through which crime, race and governance are interpreted. Peacemaking or performance? Trump used the meeting to reiterate his global peacemaking credentials, citing his mediation efforts in Ukraine and between India and Pakistan. When asked about his message to Africa ahead of Africa Day on 25 May, he shared a vision of 'peace, happiness and health', citing US mediation between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo as evidence of his commitment. However, Trump's actions towards South Africa, such as suspending aid, amplifying racially charged narratives and promoting a shambolic refugee pipeline, deviates from traditional diplomatic peacemaking efforts. Rather than offering Ramaphosa tools for crime prevention or cooperative law enforcement assistance, Trump adopted a posture of exposure. 'You know the beauty of exposing it (farm murders) is it's like a cleansing action. When it gets exposed, it'll get fixed. That's when it'll get fixed. But people don't talk about it,' Trump said during the meeting in front of the media. Whether a popular approach or not, his intent was to address violent crime in South Africa, telling Ramaphosa: 'I want you to look good, I don't want you to look bad.' Polarisation as strategy Trump's approach aligns less with classic peacemaking than with coercive diplomacy, where pressure and public shaming are used to alter state behaviour. But such tactics carry the risk of deepening diplomatic estrangement. Ramaphosa, referencing Nelson Mandela's teachings, urged 'sitting around the table and talking about it', pointing to dialogue rather than denunciation as the path forward. The question, then, is whether this highly public confrontation will serve as a catalyst for domestic reform or simply entrench existing polarities. There is a real danger that Trump's framing could polarise South African society and international observers alike. The limits of performative peacemaking The Trump-Ramaphosa meeting revealed both the fragility and potential of US-South Africa relations. While it succeeded in spotlighting violent crime as a serious issue, it failed to foster a collaborative framework for addressing it. Trump's rhetoric suggests a leader keen on global recognition as a problem solver, but his method of being confrontational, racially selective and domestically performative may undercut that ambition. Whether South Africa receives this moment as a wake-up call or a provocation will depend on Ramaphosa's next move. If he chooses dialogue over defensiveness, there may yet be room for progress. But if Trump's brand of peacemaking continues to prioritise visibility over mutuality, the legacy may be one of polarisation rather than peace. DM
