Afrikaners go against Trump's refugee offer

Labels the underlying narrative as ‘dangerous and false’

- MASHUDU SADIKE

A STATEMENT from a collective of prominent Afrikaans-speaking South Africans has rejected a recent move by the US government to prioritise white South Africans for refugee status, labelling the underlying narrative as “dangerous and false”.

This group's condemnation, articulated in an article titled, Not in our Name: Afrikaners Respond to the Misuse of Their Story in US Politics, published on Saturday, has garnered widespread support, including a strong endorsement from the ANC.

The controversy stems from a perceived US decision to offer preferential refugee status to white South Africans, a move interpreted by many as an echo of far-right ideologies.

However, the signatories, comprising nearly 50 academics, church leaders, and other professionals, have vehemently distanced themselves from this framing, asserting their identity as integral to a diverse and evolving South African nation.

“We reject the US narrative that casts Afrikaners as victims of racial persecution in post-apartheid South Africa,” stated the group in their response.

They warned that this framing, now being used to support the far-right “Great Replacement” theory in the United States, is not only misleading, but also dangerous.