South Africa president Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned 59 white South Africans who recently relocated to the United States.
He labelled them “cowards” for seeking asylum abroad and abandoning South Africa’s post-apartheid reconstruction efforts.
“They will be back soon,” Ramaphosa declared during a speech at an agricultural event in Free State province on Monday, May 12, 2025.
The emigrants, mostly Afrikaners, received refugee status under a Trump-era resettlement program, sparking international controversy.
U.S President Donald Trump approved their entry citing racial persecution, insecurity, and political bias in South Africa.
The group arrived at Dulles International Airport on May 12, 2025, welcomed by senior US officials.
Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau said they were “living under a shadow of violence and terror.”
Photos showed families waving American flags in a decorated reception area at the airport.
The migrants are expected to settle in states such as Minnesota, Idaho, and Nevada.
Ramaphosa rejected US claims of white persecution as politically driven and baseless.
“These individuals do not meet the legal definition of refugees,” he stated firmly on Tuesday.
He said they fled because they opposed land reform and economic justice initiatives in South Africa.
“They refused to engage in national dialogue and instead chose exile,” Ramaphosa added.
He described their departure as “a betrayal of the democratic project and shared national identity.”
The president also reaffirmed South Africa’s constitutional commitment to non-racialism, equality, and reconciliation.
Critics accused Ramaphosa of insensitivity toward white minority concerns and growing economic fears.
Public opinion remains divided, with some praising his firm stance and others calling his remarks divisive.
Elon Musk, a South African-born billionaire and close Trump ally, has backed the asylum narrative.
Musk echoed claims of anti-white racism and farm-related violence, though observers dispute such assertions.
International human rights bodies have found no evidence of systematic racial persecution of whites in South Africa.
Trump offered resettlement in late 2024 and expedited approvals before leaving office in January 2025.
His administration called the migrants “victims of a failed and dangerous post-colonial policy.”
The US State Department later issued a statement defending the refugee decision on humanitarian grounds.
Ramaphosa responded by announcing plans to meet US officials to resolve the matter diplomatically.
He emphasized South Africa’s stability and noted no land had yet been seized under new expropriation laws.
The land reform law, signed in January 2025, allows expropriation without compensation in certain public interest cases.
Despite opposition, Ramaphosa said land reform remained vital to correcting apartheid-era inequalities.
Trump has since threatened to boycott the upcoming G20 Summit in Cape Town unless the issue is addressed.
Ramaphosa said South Africa remains committed to fair international engagement and constructive diplomacy.
He asked for respect and cooperation from global partners regarding domestic transformation efforts.
The controversy underscores tensions between Western narratives and African sovereignty in the post-colonial era.
