WATCH: White South Africans thank Donald Trump at US embassy for helping them

A large group of white South Africans descended on United States of America Embassy in Pretoria to thank President Donald Trump for standing up for them and allowing them to go to the US as refugees.

The Afrikaners gathered at the US embassy on Saturday under the banner “Make South Africa Great Again”.

Hundreds of protesters held placards that read “Thank God for President Trump” and displayed other messages.

Singing the old South African national anthem, Die Stem, the Afrikaners handed a memorandum of farm murders as well as all racial laws against white South Africans to the US Embassy in Pretoria.

Speaker at the rally Willem Petzer said the memorandum is meant for Trump.

Trump order

Trump has halted funding to South Africa by signing an executive order against the country which alleges human rights issues in the country in response to the government’s land policy.

“South Africa is confiscating land and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”.

Influential Trump adviser Elon Musk — who was born and raised in South Africa has also criticized South Africa’s government and claimed it is anti-white for years, although some have questioned his motivations.

Watch white South Africans gathering at the US Embassy in Pretoria

AfriForum and Orania Movement

Two Afrikaner movements, AfriForum and the Orania Movement, rebuffed Trump in less than a week following the US president’s claims.

AfriForum said it was “here to stay” and wasn’t going anywhere. At the same time, the Orania Movement snubbed Trump, saying it had no intention of leaving South Africa to become refugees in America.

“We are not necessarily interested in ducks, dollars, handouts and help, [that], we’ve got, we’ve already got [that to] an extent. We want recognition. We want recognition from abroad, locally and from our peers, Head of the Orania Movement Joost Strydom said.

“We cannot go back to Europe. We do not belong in Europe, we belong in Africa. So, if people recognise us as part of this continent and this country in terms of our history…we want to build a future for us here.”

ALSO READ: ‘We will not be bullied’ – Ramaphosa talks tough amid US diplomatic storm [VIDEO]

Going to the US

However, the group of group of white South Africans descended on the US embassy, thanking Trump for punishing what they allegedly called “ the violent and corrupt ANC.”

Sasolburg businessman Dennis Van Osch told The Citizen going to America is a “one-way ticket.”

“If you go there, you can’t just come back. I think America is a beautiful country, everything is working there, there’s law and order which I can say for South Africa, it’s difficult here. But, if I was younger, I would definitely take the chance.”

Sasolburg business man Dennis Van Osch speaks to The Citizen outside the United States of America Embassy in Pretoria, 15 February 2025, about farming, Land that is being taken away from the farmers. Video:Nigel Sibanda /The Citizen pic.twitter.com/IxW09d1VMV

— The Citizen News (@TheCitizen_News) February 15, 2025

Corruption in SA

Pretoria resident Stefan Buitendag complained about corruption in South Africa.

“The land in South Africa is being taken over, so it’s going for me like it’s the next Zimbabwe. The rand has no value in it. We are going to have to have a crate full of money just to buy bread. So, I think to move to America is a really, really good option for our future, our childrens future [SIC].

Pretoria resident, Stefan Buitendag speaks to The Citizen outside the United States of America Embassy in Pretoria, 15 February 2025, about unemployment , drugs and Saftey in the country. Video:Nigel Sibanda /The Citizen pic.twitter.com/A3XanAuFI5

— The Citizen News (@TheCitizen_News) February 15, 2025

Forget Zimbabwe

However, leading legal expert and former member of Ramaphosa’s advisory panel on land, Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, said South Africa doesn’t “need to look at Zimbabwe’s land policy.”

He spoke about how South Africa should have passed a law to redistribute land equitably when the country’s final constitution was passed.

“We don’t need to look at Zimbabwe. We can look at South Africa and the devastation that apartheid caused because of the powers that were given to the state president and the powers that were given to basically an illegitimate regime.

“We have to look at the hardship that the apartheid government unleashed on Africans. So we don’t want to go back there,” Ngcukaitobi said.

Ramaphosa last month signed a bill that stipulated the government may, in certain circumstances, offer “nil compensation” for property it decides to expropriate in the public interest.

ALSO READ: ‘The lies will be incomplete without you’: Ramaphosa’s spokesperson takes shots at US embassy

‘Thank you Trump’

Another Pretoria resident, Hanli Groenewald, told The Citizen they had gathered at the US embassy to thank Trump.

“We are here to thank Trump for giving us the opportunity to come to America and giving us a better future there. I wish there would be more people going to America. Like he [Trump] said, black and whites, we have to stay together, because South Africa is really going backwards.”

Pretoria residents, Hanli Groenewald speaks to The Citizen outside the United States of America Embassy in Pretoria, 15 February 2025, about unemployment , drugs and Saftey in the country. Video:Nigel Sibanda /The Citizen pic.twitter.com/mVqDzKc0Yr

— The Citizen News (@TheCitizen_News) February 15, 2025

Ramaphosa responds

Ramaphosa coolly responded to Trump’s accusations last week, denying that any unjust confiscation of land had occurred.

“South Africa is a constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice and equality. The South African government has not confiscated any land.

“We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa also seemingly delivered a riposte to Trump during his State of the Nation Address (Sona).

If South Africans were wondering if it would placate the Trump administration, they got their answer.

Ramaphosa’s 10th Sona was a measured response to Trump and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio’s unprecedented attacks.

‘SA won’t be bullied’

Without providing any evidence, Trump claimed that “South Africa is confiscating land and treating certain classes of people very badly,” referring to the new law signed by Ramaphosa and aimed at addressing racial disparities in land ownership.

On Thursday, Rubio echoed his leader’s sentiments, saying he will boycott the upcoming G20 Summit in Johannesburg in November because South Africa “is doing very bad things.”

While Ramaphosa did not mention Trump directly during the Sona, he addressed rising global tensions in his speech.

“We must chart this path in a world that is rapidly changing. It is a world of both interdependence and competition, of cooperation and conflict. It is a multipolar world in which new countries are emerging to play a greater role in global affairs. We are seeing intensifying competition over trade, technology and influence in global institutions.

“In the face of these challenges, we are witnessing the rise of nationalism and protectionism, the pursuit of narrow interests and the decline of common cause. This is the world that we, as a developing economy, must now navigate. But we are not daunted. We will not be deterred. We are a resilient people. We will not be bullied. We will stand together as a united nation and we will speak with one voice in defence of our national interests, our sovereignty and our constitutional democracy,” Ramaphosa said.

ALSO READ: These countries have pledged support for South Africa amid Trump criticism [VIDEO]

‘Lies’

Ramaphosa spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, also hit back at the United States embassy in South Africa following claims on land expropriation in the country.

This after the embassy said it was “closely monitoring land and farm seizures in South Africa following an executive order by Trump.

The US embassy on Monday said the order was issued in response to South Africa’s land policy that it claims allows the government to “seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation”.

On Tuesday, Magwenya responded to the US embassy’s claims in a post on X (formally Twitter).

“South Africa is host to the 2nd largest foreign missions in the world after Washington DC. Of all the embassies in Pretoria, including the UN Office for Human Rights, you are the only ones monitoring non-existent ‘land seizures’. I suppose the lies will be incomplete without you.”

Countries supporting SA

While the US embassy claims South Africa has taken a position against America and its allies, several countries have pledged their support for South Africa after Trump signed the executive order cutting aid to the country.

France, Germany, Italy, the European Union, and the other member states expressed their shared “common attachment” to multilateralism, the rule of law, non-racialism, and non-sexism in South Africa.

The countries’ commitment significantly boost South Africa as it prepares to host the G20 talks for foreign ministers in November.

ALSO READ: ‘SA should’ve passed Expropriation Bill in 1996’ – Ngcukaitobi