Reports have it that Afrikaners in their numbers who claim discrimination in their home country left Johannesburg on Sunday. Furthermore, they all safely arrived in the U.S. on Monday, ready to start a new life as special refugees. However, their departure for the U.S. is viewed as paradoxical, as the Trump administration was halting virtually all refugee admissions.
Furthermore, the white South Africans arrived in the U.S. via a U.S.-funded charter plane as they claimed racial discrimination. Consequently, the Afrikaners chose to accept President Trump’s offer of a special refugee status in the U.S. On arrival , the Trump administration welcomed them and promised to give them the needed support to start a new life.
Trump Accuse South Africa of Racism
According to U.S. President Donald Trump, he claimed that the white South Africans were being denied jobs and had been targeted by violence because of their race. For this reason, it further emboldened President Trump to redefine U.S. foreign policy.
Trump has halted virtually all refugee admissions for people fleeing famine and war from places like Sudan and the DRC. Contrary to his policy, he has hurriedly created an exception for the Afrikaners, a brutal white ethnic minority in South-Africa. Moreover, the Afrikaners established a yet-to-be-equalled and devilish system of racial segregation in the world, popularly known as apartheid.
Afrikaners US Refugees Status
The refugee process often takes years. But only three months have passed from the time Mr. Trump signed an executive order establishing refugee status for Afrikaners. However, the first cohort has eventually made its way to America.
At any rate, Afrikaner families were observed lining up for their flight on Sunday evening at O.R. Tambo International Airport. However, they waved off questions from reporters, as instructed by the U.S. Embassy. Parents, with children in tow, pushed trolleys piled high with luggage and spoke quietly among themselves.
About 59 Afrikaners departed and arrived in the U.S. on Monday, according to a spokesman for South Africa’s airport authority.
Afrikaners’ US Refugee Status a Mix Grill
As Trump’s administration celebrated the Afrikaners upon their arrival on Monday morning in Washington, some groups were dissatisfied. Moreover, some aid groups, immigrant rights activists, and the South African government and public have criticised the refugee initiative. Conversely, the Trump policy makes a mockery of a system devised to help the most vulnerable.
Some leading Afrikaner activists in South Africa have said they would prefer Trump provided support for them differently. They want support to build a better life at home.
However, the Afrikaner refugee program seems to have deepened tensions in an already strained relationship between South Africa and the US.
The Israeli Factor In The Crisis
President Donald Trump and his administration have unwittingly labelled the South African government as racist. Furthermore, they have classified the efforts by the South African government to reverse racial inequalities created by apartheid as anti-white. However, government officials questioned the granting of refugee status to Afrikaners as a politically motivated attempt to discredit the country.
In any case, the Trump administration has openly accused the South African government of bias and deep-seated hatred towards Israel. For instance, they cited South Africa’s close relationship with Iran, which is seen as dangerous. Additionally, citing the genocide case at the International Court of Justice over the war in Gaza initiated by South Africa.
The Afrikaner’s Side Of The Crisis
Many Afrikaners, who are the direct descendants of European colonisers who arrived in the country some four centuries ago. In any case, for them, this moment goes beyond politics.
What’s more, “No white person in their right mind would stay in this country,” said Jaco van der Merwe. Furthermore, his family had been the victims of violent attacks and passed over for jobs because they are white. “I believe South Africa is finished.”
Mr. van der Merwe said he had reached out to the United States Embassy in South Africa. However, he is yet to get feedback in respect to the application for refugee status.
Refugee Status Application
The State Department said in March that it had received enquiries from more than 8,000 people. It is unclear when the government will admit more.
Much of the discontent among Afrikaners is based on their experiences in most rural communities and tensions over land ownership. Consequently, that unresolved apartheid legacy of over 30 years remains their archilles heel.
The Economics of Landownership
In short, the Afrikaners make a living from farming. A policy created through the apartheid government of South Africa denying blacks the right to own prime agricultural land. Invariably, that meant that almost all of the country’s large-scale commercial farmers were white, even up to this day.
The government’s efforts to redistribute land after apartheid have largely fallen flat because of a variety of factors, including corruption, a lack of financial support for Black farmers, and the inability to get enough white South Africans to voluntarily sell their land.
Landownership: The Bold Reversal
South Africa’s president, Mr. Ramaphosa, signed into law this year, 2025, the power to confiscate private land without compensation. However, some legal luminaries opine that uncompensated seizures are subject to strict judicial review and are likely to be rare. Furthermore, the Afrikaner community has expressed palpable fears that white farmers will have their land taken from them. Besides, there have not been any private land takeovers, contrary to President Trump’s speculation on social media in February. In summary, Trump had said that the South African government was confiscating land.
Conclusion
Consequently, the US decision to grant refugee status to the Afrikaners will further escalate the growing tension between them. Additionally, the decision of South Africa to sue Israel at the world court is equally a factor in this fight.
Furthermore, the South African Black community sees President Trump’s action as a figment of the white supremacist agenda. Moreover, the US government recently expelled its ambassador for openly challenging Trump’s action. More importantly, President Ramaphosa has called the refugee status an abuse of power, as they do not qualify.
Finally, the world calls on both parties to apply maximum restraint and make use of diplomatic channels for resolution. Previously, President Ramaphosa made strong attempts to de-escalate by meeting with Elon Musk. However, the situation seems to further deteriorate as more actions against the South African are popping up at intervals.
