US accepts white refugees from South Africa. Pretoria: It's a lie and a violation of sovereignty

On Sunday, the first group of 49 Afrikaners (white South Africans) granted refugee status by President Donald Trump's administration flew on a charter flight to the United States.

They are due to land in the “promised land”, as South African broadcaster eNCA put it, on Monday, where they will be greeted by a government delegation, including the deputy secretary of state and officials from the Department of Health and Social Welfare. They will be provided with accommodation, basic household equipment and food.

The US government has granted refugee status to 54 Afrikaners who complained they were being persecuted in their own country. The authorities in Pretoria say this is a lie, but they have assured that they will not prevent anyone from leaving.

The refugee issue has seriously inflamed the already fragile relations between South Africa and the United States. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has accused President Trump of further stoking tensions. He has particularly criticized him for using the term refugee to describe people he has invited to the United States. Ramaphosa has said these actions undermine his country's sovereignty.

South African diplomacy takes a similar view, with spokesman Chrispin Phiri saying that "even if there are allegations of discrimination, they do not meet the criteria for persecution required under domestic and international refugee law."

Tensions between the United States and South Africa have intensified over Pretoria’s land reform last year, fueled by Trump adviser Elon Musk, who publicly accused the South African government of a racist reform that would dispossess white farmers without compensation.

Ramaphosa's government has repeatedly explained that the reform is aimed at fair land redistribution and national reconciliation, not racial retaliation. The main argument of defenders of the land reform is the still disproportionately large share of land ownership by white South Africans. (PAP)

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