SOUTH Africa’s Afrikaner community has firmly rejected an offer from US President Donald Trump to resettle them in the United States as refugees. This comes after Trump issued an executive order freezing US aid to South Africa, citing concerns over the country’s land reform policies and its legal case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
At a press briefing in Pretoria on Saturday, Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum—a group advocating for Afrikaans-speaking communities—dismissed Trump’s offer, reaffirming Afrikaners’ deep-rooted ties to South Africa.
‘We don’t want to move elsewhere, and we are not going to ask our children to leave. Our future is here, and our culture must be passed down to future generations within South Africa,’ Kriel stated. He emphasised that Afrikaners, descendants of European settlers, are committed to building a future on the African continent.
Commitment to South Africa amid political tensions
The rejection of Trump’s offer follows his executive order, which not only froze US aid to Pretoria but also proposed resettling Afrikaners in the US, citing alleged racial discrimination tied to South Africa’s land expropriation law. The law, recently signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, allows the state to expropriate land without compensation under specific conditions deemed just, equitable, and in the public interest.
While Trump’s order frames this legislation as discriminatory against white landowners, South African officials argue that it addresses historical injustices stemming from apartheid and colonial-era land dispossession.
Kriel acknowledged the US government’s recognition of Afrikaner concerns but made it clear: ‘We are committed to finding solutions locally. Afrikaners want recognition as a group, not special privileges in their country of birth.’
Solidarity Movement Chairman Flip Buys echoed these sentiments, stating, ‘We disagree with the African National Congress (ANC), but we love our country. Repatriating Afrikaners as refugees is not an option for us.’
US aid cut tied to ICJ case against israel
Trump’s executive order also cited South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ as a key reason for the aid freeze. South Africa has accused Israel of genocide over its military operations in Gaza, which resulted in over 47,600 deaths since October 2023. The case has strained relations between Washington and Pretoria, with Trump accusing South Africa of undermining US foreign policy and threatening national security interests.
South Africa’s Foreign Ministry responded sharply, accusing the US of spreading ‘misinformation and propaganda’ about the country’s policies.
‘It is disappointing that such narratives have found favour among decision-makers in the United States,’ the ministry said in a statement. They also highlighted the irony of Trump’s order offering refugee status to a group considered economically privileged in South Africa, while vulnerable migrants elsewhere face deportation from the US.
Land reform: a legacy of apartheid
Land ownership remains a deeply sensitive issue in South Africa. Despite the end of apartheid nearly three decades ago, white South Africans—particularly Afrikaners—still own a disproportionate share of commercial farmland. The new land expropriation law seeks to rectify this imbalance, aiming to redistribute land more equitably without resorting to widespread confiscation.
President Ramaphosa has defended the legislation, stating it aims to address the historical injustices of colonialism and apartheid without destabilising the agricultural sector.
South Africa reaffirmed its commitment to diplomacy, with government officials expressing a willingness to engage in dialogue with the US to address any misunderstandings. However, they remain firm in rejecting what they see as external interference rooted in distorted narratives.
As the political fallout continues, Afrikaners’ refusal to leave their homeland sends a clear message: their future, despite the challenges, is firmly rooted in South Africa.
