Trump’s offer of refugee status to Afrikaners: ‘Hopeful emigrants could wait for years’

United States (US) President Donald Trump’s offer of refugee status to Afrikaners, after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law the Expropriation Bill, will not happen overnight and hopeful emigrants could wait for years, according to experts.

In what has led to a major diplomatic standoff between South Africa and the US, Trump has signed an executive order stopping all aid to South Africa, decrying “government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation” and accusing SA of a “shocking disregard of its citizens’ rights”.

The latest move worsening SA-US relations is a letter written to Trump by four conservative Republican congressmen labelling the South African government “an ethnonationalist gangster regime”, citing SA’s genocide case against Israel, heard by the International Court of Justice.

Trump’s refugee offer not limited to ethnic Afrikaners

Trump’s original executive order referred to ethnic Afrikaners as being welcome as refugees in a state-facilitated programme, confirmed by the US mission in SA.

However, a fact sheet issued by the US embassy and consulates in SA did not limit the ramifications of the executive order to ethnic Afrikaners.

The refugee status offer would, according to the US’s diplomatic mission in Pretoria, include all “disfavoured minorities” and refers to all “settler groups” as qualifying.

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‘Processing of the refugee status could take years’

But award-winning broadcaster Redi Tlhabi and political economist Dr Sam Koma cautioned against hopes by local right-wing groups of a smooth US refugee status process.

They said Trump’s offer could run into snags.

Tlhabi said processing of the refugee status could take years.

“Do you wonder why Trump announced ‘refugees’ as opposed to an asylum programme for Afrikaners? Are you not curious why a very capable US embassy has not provided you with information, but merely advised you to ‘monitor’ the website?

“The asylum process allows one to travel any time and just arrive in the US.”

Apart from the lengthy process, Tlhabi added: “Additionally, the US refugee admission programme was suspended last month and no waivers have been announced.

“You first need a referral to the United States Refugee Admissions Programme, which has been suspended.

“The embassy works with the UN High Commission for Refugees and the Refugee Support Centre. The latter handles the process, verifying your identity and doing security checks on all applicants.

“You need unabridged birth and marriage certificates, divorce decrees, military records and certified police clearance – taking up to five months. You need evidence of persecution or fear of being persecuted. I would avoid braais, rugby and dancing. You cannot be looking happy while being persecuted.”

She reminded prospective applications that “the refugee officer who interviews you is just an ordinary worker with no access to Trump” and will “approve or deny your application based on facts”.

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‘Factually misleading to say Afrikaners are under threat’

Koma said: “Acquisition of refugee status, let alone asylum status, is a protracted and bureaucratic process that takes years.

“There is no exception to the executive order sanctioned by the US president.

“Empirical evidence, since the dawn of SA’s democratic order, shows that the rights, culture, language and land owned by Afrikaners has been protected.

“To this day, Afrikaners continue to enjoy these rights.”

Koma said the 1951 UN convention on refugees referred to “any person who – due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality of a particular social group or political opinion – is outside the country of his nationality and unable to return to return to it”.

“It is factually misleading to say Afrikaners are under threat or live in fear. Some prominent members of the Afrikaner intelligentsia, like Max du Preez, have admitted that Afrikaners have since amassed wealth and continue to control economic levers in the country,” said Koma.

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US embassy to submit petition

The US embassy in South Africa said over the weekend it would submit a petition from a group of about 1 500 white South Africans who handed over a memorandum, thanking Trump for his support.

Jaco Kleynhans, head of Solidarity Movement’s pro-Trump support lobby, said he was uncertain about “how the process will play out”.

“A programme is currently being compiled by the department of homeland security and the White House.

“The Solidarity Movement, which includes Solidarity and AfriForum, said from the beginning that the refugee status could at most be an option for a small part of the Afrikaner population in SA.

“This will be particularly relevant for people who have lost everything.”

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