Flawed and false!’ — SA govt hits back at Trump’s ‘white Afrikaner’ refugee policy

Pretoria – The South African government has expressed strong concern over the United States’ recent Presidential Determination on refugee resettlement, warning that the programme is based on a “factually inaccurate” premise and undermines South Africa’s constitutional and legal framework.

In a formal notice published in the Federal Register, US President Donald Trump approved a refugee cap of 7,500 for the 2026 fiscal year — the lowest in the country’s history — with the majority of slots reportedly earmarked for white Afrikaners.

The Trump administration defended the decision, claiming it was in response to what it called “targeted discrimination and insecurity” affecting the minority group.

The move has sparked strong backlash from the South African government, which condemned the policy as politically driven and inconsistent with global refugee protection standards.

Underlying assumption

In a statement, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) said that while it had taken note of the new US policy, it “remains concerning and still appears to rest on a premise that is factually inaccurate and a disregard for our constitutional processes.”

The department criticised the programme’s underlying assumption of a so-called “white genocide” in South Africa, describing the claim as “widely discredited and unsupported by reliable evidence.”

“The claim of a ‘white genocide’ in South Africa is widely discredited and unsupported by reliable evidence,” Dirco said. “This is further evidenced by the courageous and patriotic open letter from prominent members of the Afrikaner community themselves, who have publicly rejected this very narrative.”

According to the department, any programme aimed at facilitating the immigration and resettlement of South Africans as refugees on this basis is “fundamentally flawed”.

Critical distinction

“The limited uptake of this offer by South Africans is a telling indicator of this reality,” the statement continued.

Dirco stressed that the South African Constitution guarantees the right of citizens to emigrate through legal means but cautioned against conflating voluntary migration with refugee asylum.

“We must, however, draw a critical distinction between voluntary migration and refugee asylum. Conflating the two is a serious mischaracterisation that carries significant legal consequences for individuals and undermines international protection systems,” it said.

Despite the criticism, the government reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining a strong relationship with the United States.

“South Africa values its strategic partnership with the United States and remains committed to collaborating on issues of mutual concern through dialogue and a shared respect for international law and national sovereignty,” the department concluded.