Despite his administration’s ongoing crackdown on immigration affecting Black and Brown migrants, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced an offer of expedited citizenship to white South African farmers.
The move, revealed in a social media post on Friday, sparked debate as Trump falsely claimed that South Africa’s government was seizing their land “and MUCH WORSE THAN THAT.”
The post stressed Trump’s previous remarks about South Africa, including his recent executive order suspending all U.S. aid to the country while granting refugee status to Afrikaners, a white ethnic minority.
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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently signed a law allowing the government to acquire land in the public interest without compensation. Following this, Trump escalated his criticism of the South African government. Billionaire Elon Musk, a native of South Africa, has also echoed Trump’s concerns, alleging on social media that the country’s leadership enforces racist policies.
“A bad place to be right now,” Trump wrote about South Africa on Friday.
His remarks come as the South African government is working on a trade proposal aimed at de-escalating tensions and maintaining a stable relationship with the U.S. President Ramaphosa has previously dismissed Trump’s allegations as misinformation, expressing a willingness to meet and clarify matters.
“We are not going to partake in counterproductive megaphone diplomacy,” said Vincent Magwenya, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson. “We remain committed to fostering a trade, political, and diplomatic relationship with the U.S. based on mutual respect and sovereignty.”
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Since returning to office in January, Trump has prioritized tightening U.S. refugee policies.
Meanwhile, some conservative Afrikaners are reportedly leveraging Trump’s support. A delegation recently met with White House officials, seeking U.S. funding to establish self-sustaining communities and lobbying for pressure on South Africa to repeal affirmative action laws they claim are discriminatory against white citizens.
However, not all Afrikaners are eager to leave. Many activists within the community insist they would rather see South Africa improve than abandon it for the U.S.
For further insight into this issue, watch Sandra Babu-Boateng’s analysis on The BreakDown via PanaGenius TV. Share your thoughts with us!
