Trump’s latest offer is not just for Afrikaners

US President Donald Trump broadened his offer to farmers wishing to leave South Africa to include non-Afrikaans speakers… and to fast track their citizenship, rather than offering just refugee status.

Trump also reiterated that Washington would stop all US federal funding to South Africa.

In messages on his social media platform, Trump also repeated the incorrect statement that farmers were having their farms taken away.

Are farmers taking Trump up on his offer?

Political analyst Piet Croucamp said there would be interest in Trump’s offer for farmers to relocate, but not on a big scale.

“It won’t be that simple… however, Trump still has to put it to paper,” he said.

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Those who might consider it were some farmers in financial distress due to droughts and changing values in the supply chains and those concerned for the future of their children, Croucamp said.

“But until we see the rules and regulations on paper, we do not know what the farmers must comply,” he said.

Maggie Venter, who assists South Africans to get jobs on farms in America, said the applications by Afrikaners to work in the US have not increased since Trump’s announcement.

Venter also hasn’t seen any new paperwork or changes of regulations or updates from the US regarding applying for work in America.

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Helping ‘persecuted’ farmers leave

The Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai,) a network for family farmers, has announced it would coordinate responses to Trump’s offer to SA farmers.

“Given the very explicit invitation by Trump to farmers to have a shortcut to US citizenship if they feel unsafe or persecuted in South Africa, Saai has forged an agreement with several organisations like Solidarity and AfriForum, to coordinate efforts to support individuals and families who would like to pursue this opportunity,” it said

“Saai is not in the business of exporting our farmers and has never been,” spokesperson Theo de Jager said.

“Through our partnership with Agri All Africa, we probably have more experience in assisting South African, Zimbabwean and Namibian farmers who are invested elsewhere on the African continent, and also in Eastern Europe, Portugal, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada, who either diversified their farming operations or who have moved abroad.”

De Jager said between 96% and 97% of the nearly 5 000 farmers “with whom we keep contact”, have not relocated, but have rather diversified into other countries.

“Each farmer who wants to leave South Africa for whatever reason, is mourned as a loss for South Africa and the agricultural sector, and we intend to keep that number as low as possible.”

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Eye on Agoa

Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz), said SA’s agricultural sector was recovering from a production perspective this year, but there are heightened risks associated with international trade.

“We continue to watch closely the Agoa’s duty-free access to the US market and generally fractured geopolitics, as they affect agricultural product exports, farm profitability and, ultimately, the sustainability of agricultural jobs.”

While the numbers paint a much milder picture than anticipated, SA’s agricultural production conditions are improving, Sihlobo said.

“We have been stating for some time that this will likely be a recovery year for agriculture.”

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the country was still committed to building a mutually beneficial relationship with the Trump administration.

“It must be a relationship based on mutual respect and respect for our independence and sovereignty,” he said.

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