Keypoints:
- SA confirms Afrikaner flight to US under Trump order
- Pretoria denies racial persecution claims
- Trump policy sparks diplomatic tension
SOUTH Africa has rejected claims by the Trump administration that white Afrikaners are victims of racial persecution, following confirmation that a second group has departed the country for the United States under a controversial refugee programme.
Speaking in Pretoria on Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed the departure of a small group of Afrikaners aboard a commercial flight, the second such departure since US President Donald Trump signed an executive order granting them refugee status.
‘We are aware that there was a commercial flight that left with fewer people than the previous group,’ Magwenya said, referencing an earlier chartered flight that carried 49 Afrikaners to the US.
Trump’s refugee policy draws Pretoria’s ire
In February, President Trump issued an executive order granting white Afrikaners refugee status, citing claims that they face racial discrimination and land seizures in South Africa. The move was backed by Trump’s former advisor Elon Musk, himself of South African descent.
But Magwenya dismissed the claims outright: ‘There is a so-called persecution of people of a particular race in South Africa, which is not true. That narrative cannot be sustained in the absence of anything substantial that is placed on the table.’
He emphasised that the South African government is not operating any scheme that would classify its citizens as refugees.
No basis under international law, SA says
Magwenya reiterated that none of the individuals leaving the country qualify as refugees under internationally accepted definitions.
‘We’re on record saying there are no South African citizens that can be described as refugees under the true international law definition of what constitutes a refugee,’ he stated.
Despite these denials, the Trump administration has maintained that white Afrikaners — primarily Afrikaans-speaking descendants of Dutch settlers — are facing systemic exclusion and insecurity. Independent observers, however, say there is no credible evidence of widespread racial persecution or land seizures targeting the group.
Tensions grow over refugee narrative
The issue has introduced fresh diplomatic strain between Pretoria and Washington. While no official protest has been filed, South African officials say they are monitoring the situation closely and remain firm in their rejection of what they describe as ‘misinformation’.
Trump’s policy, framed around a narrative of reverse discrimination in South Africa, has sparked sharp criticism from civil rights groups, who argue it politicises asylum policy and undermines international refugee standards.
The South African presidency has made clear that its land reform agenda and social policies are not racially targeted and are being pursued within the bounds of law and equity.
