South Africa condemns US plan to Resettle White Afrikaners as refugees

New Delhi, May 10: South Africa has sharply criticised the United States over reports that the Trump administration is preparing to receive a group of white Afrikaners as refugees, possibly as soon as next week. According to documents obtained by CBS, the US branch of the BBC, the resettlement is being treated as a “priority” by President Donald Trump’s administration, though the White House has not officially confirmed the timeline. In a statement issued on Friday, South Africa’s foreign ministry denounced the reported move as “politically motivated” and an attempt to discredit the country’s “constitutional democracy.”

The controversy follows an executive order signed by President Trump in February, in which he described Afrikaners as victims of “racial discrimination,” effectively opening the door to their potential resettlement in the US.

While Pretoria has said it will not obstruct the departure of those selected for resettlement, it has requested assurances that all individuals have undergone thorough vetting and have no pending criminal charges. The South African government rejected allegations that white South Africans are being targeted for violence, calling such claims “unfounded.” Officials pointed to crime statistics which, they argue, do not support the idea that any racial group is being disproportionately victimised in farm-related attacks. Some advocacy groups representing white farmers maintain that race-motivated killings are occurring and have welcomed the US resettlement initiative. A spokesperson for the US. State Department told the BBC that officials are currently interviewing potential applicants and are prioritising “Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination.” The spokesperson declined to confirm the start date of the resettlement.

Tensions between the two countries have escalated since the Trump administration accused the South African government of expropriating land from white farmers without compensation—an allegation that South African officials have repeatedly denied. Adding to the controversy, Elon Musk—a senior adviser to President Trump and a South African-born entrepreneur—has criticised the South African government, accusing it of orchestrating a “genocide” against white farmers, a claim dismissed by Pretoria as inflammatory and baseless. CBS reports that a press event is planned at Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Monday to welcome the first group of refugees, expected to include 54 Afrikaners. The move comes as the Trump administration has largely shut down avenues for asylum seekers from other parts of the world. In response to February’s executive order, South Africa criticised the U.S. for opening its doors to a group it described as “among the most economically privileged,” while turning away refugees from more vulnerable backgrounds.