 "White South Africans demonstrate in support of US President Donald Trump in front of the US embassy in Pretoria, South Africa. Source: AP")
About 70,000 people from South Africa have expressed interest in moving to the US after President Donald Trump announced a controversial plan to offer refuge to a white minority group there. On February 7, Trump issued an executive order cutting American funding to South Africa, citing “government actions fuelling disproportionate violence against racially disfavoured landowners.”
Trump’s order referred to Afrikaners. They are a part of white community in South Africa, mostly descendants of mainly Dutch and French colonial settlers who first visited the country in the 17th century.
Trump’s order identified Afrikaners as victims of “unjust racial discrimination” and directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to offer humanitarian relief to them. At the centre of Trump’s anger against the South African government was a land expropriation law, which he believed would see Afrikaners having their farmland seized.
Now, the US embassy in South Africa has confirmed, citing a list from the South African Chamber of Commerce in US, that nearly 70,000 have people have so far inquired about the refuge programme. It clarified that mere inquiry didn’t represent formal application for refuge.
Neil Diamond, the president of the chamber, said the list contains 67,042 names. Most were people between 25 and 45 years old and have children.
Diamond told a local media outlet that he has contacted the State Department and the embassy in Pretoria “to indicate that we would like them to make a channel available for South Africans that would like to get more information and register for refugee status."
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More ShortsAbout 2.7 million Afrikaners currently reside in South Africa, which has a population of 62 million.
South Africa has rejected Trump’s criticism of the expropriation law, arguing that no land has been taken under the new law.
Another issue of contention between the two governments is South Africa’s allegations of genocide against Israel regarding its war in Gaza.
The Trump administration accused South Africa of supporting Hamas and Iran while adopting an anti-American stance. The US also expelled the South African ambassador, citing his alleged anti-Trump and anti-American views.
(With inputs from agencies)