The South African government has expressed strong criticism of the United States’ recent refugee policy shift, which prioritizes Afrikaners, the country’s white minority group of Dutch descent. The Trump administration announced on Thursday a drastic reduction in the refugee admission ceiling from 125,000 to 7,500, with Afrikaners given preference. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that Afrikaners face “genocide” in South Africa due to alleged persecution, discrimination, and high crime rates. This assertion has been widely discredited by experts and South African officials. The policy has further strained diplomatic relations between the two nations, with Trump suspending financial aid to South Africa and imposing high tariffs on its exports. South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation labeled the U.S. policy as deeply flawed and based on inaccurate premises. Spokesperson Chrispin Phiri emphasized that the claim of “white genocide” lacks credible evidence and undermines South Africa’s constitutional processes. The policy has sparked controversy within South Africa, with many Afrikaners rejecting the notion of needing asylum. A group of prominent Afrikaners, including politicians and activists, published an open letter opposing the idea of race-based refugee status, arguing that humanitarian policy should focus on vulnerability rather than race. However, some Afrikaner groups, like AfriForum, have raised concerns about safety and discriminatory policies, though they do not endorse the “genocide” claim. While the exact number of applicants remains unclear, 59 white South Africans were granted asylum in the U.S. in May, marking a contentious chapter in U.S.-South Africa relations.
South African government criticizes Trump’s refugee policy prioritizing white Afrikaner minority
