Ronald Lamola, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, maintains that the 49 Afrikaners who departed for the US on Sunday are not considered refugees.
They are scheduled to arrive in Washington on Monday night following calls from US President Donald Trump that the Afrikaners should relocate to the US because they are being persecuted in South Africa.
Lamola clarified that there has not been any correspondence from the US because a person’s application to be considered a refugee is private.
Additionally, he denied that there was any proof to back up the claims that Afrikaners were being mistreated in South Africa.
Government willing to share crime statistics
“There is no data that backs [claims] that there is persecution of white South Africans or white Afrikaners, in particular, who are farmers,” said Lamola, adding that the government is prepared to share and release police statistics to refute the claims of persecution.
“In actuality, white farmers are just as impacted by crime as any other South African, and more farm residents are also impacted by it.
“So, this is not factual. It is without basis.”
He added that these Afrikaners were checked, including their criminal histories, when they boarded at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday.
Lamola pointed out that allegations of persecution have been denied by some Afrikaner organisations in South Africa.
Afrikaner groups denounce claims of persecution
“We are glad that a number of organisations, even from Afrikaner structures, have denounced this so-called persecution.
“They have stated that where there are challenges, there are platforms to resolve them within the South African context, which makes this a domestic issue.
“Our legislation provides efficient platforms for any issue to be ventilated in that regard, and white South Africans, including Afrikaners, have voiced their views in this regard, and we welcome that as the government of South Africa, and we encourage more of such engagements and platforms.”
