WHITE SOUTH AFRICAN “REFUGEE” STATUS SPARKS OUTRAGE IN SOUTH AFRICA
South African officials and scholars have sharply criticized the United States for granting refugee status to a group of white Afrikaners, calling the move a dangerous endorsement of a discredited white genocide conspiracy theory. The 49-person group arrived in the US on a private charter flight under a fast-tracked relocation programme ordered by the Trump administration.
US President Donald Trump defended the move by claiming Afrikaners were victims of “genocide,” a claim South African courts and government have dismissed as fictitious. President Cyril Ramaphosa rejected the designation, saying the individuals were not being persecuted but were resisting constitutional changes aimed at equality. “They don’t fit the refugee bill,” Ramaphosa stated during a conference in Abidjan.
Critics say the Trump administration’s classification politicizes refugee resettlement and could legitimize false narratives about South Africa. While the US welcomed the Afrikaners, it simultaneously revoked protections for Afghan nationals, drawing accusations of racial and political bias in refugee policy. The issue has sparked diplomatic tensions, with Ramaphosa pledging to confront Trump on the matter in upcoming bilateral meetings.
