SA slams Trump's 'white genocide' refugee plan as baseless and dangerous
South Africa accuses US of undermining its Constitution with flawed refugee policy.
Image: Marco Longari / AFP
The South African government has criticised the United States over its new Special Refugee Programme, saying it is based on false claims and undermines South Africa's constitutional processes.
This follows a Presidential Determination issued on September 30 and published in the Federal Register, in which Donald Trump capped refugee admissions for the 2026 fiscal year at 7,500, the lowest in the country's history and instructed that the majority of those slots be allocated to Afrikaners from South Africa.
"The admissions numbers shall primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa and other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands," the document reads.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said the programme continues to raise concern, as it appears to be based on false assumptions and shows disregard for South Africa’s constitutional processes.
The department said the claim of a 'white genocide' in South Africa was widely discredited and unsupported by reliable evidence.
DIRCO added that prominent members of the Afrikaner community themselves had rejected this narrative, calling their open letter courageous and patriotic.
"Therefore, a programme designed to facilitate their immigration and resettlement as refugees is fundamentally flawed," the department said.
It added that the limited number of South Africans taking up the offer is a telling indicator of this reality.
DIRCO also cautioned that the US initiative blurred the lines 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," the department warned.
Despite its criticism, South Africa reaffirmed its diplomatic relationship with Washington.
"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," DIRCO said.
IOL News