Thousands of South Africans express interest in US resettlement plan

Nearly 70,000 South Africans have shown interest in relocating to the United States following Washington’s initiative to resettle members of the country’s Afrikaner community, according to a business group.

The South African Chamber of Commerce in the USA (Saccusa) reported that its website was inundated with registrations from individuals seeking more details about the program.

In a February executive order, President Donald Trump stated that Afrikaners—descendants of predominantly Dutch settlers from the 17th Century—qualified for refugee status as they were “victims of unjust racial discrimination.”

Diplomatic relations between the US and South Africa have deteriorated since Trump took office in January.

Saccusa described the submission of the registration list to the US embassy in Pretoria as a “significant milestone.” An embassy representative confirmed to the BBC that the document had been received.

According to Saccusa’s president, Neil Diamond, 67,042 individuals registered, with the majority bearing Afrikaner or English surnames. The group noted that most applicants were between the ages of 25 and 45 and had two to three dependents.

Saccusa, which represents South African businesspeople residing in the US, is not a government-affiliated entity but became involved in the registration process after an influx of inquiries about the resettlement initiative, Diamond told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.

While some white South Africans claim they face discrimination, their concerns have gained traction among right-wing groups in the US. However, more than three decades after apartheid ended, South Africa’s white minority continues to control most of the nation’s private land and wealth.

Tensions between Pretoria and Washington intensified in January when South African President Cyril Ramaphosa enacted legislation permitting land expropriation without compensation in cases deemed to serve the “public interest.”

This law followed longstanding demands for land redistribution, with activists and political leaders advocating for the transfer of farmland from white landowners to Black South Africans.

Trump reacted by issuing an executive order extending refugee status to Afrikaners, arguing that they were facing “state-sanctioned racial discrimination.”

By March, Trump broadened the offer to include all South African farmers, describing the country as “a dangerous place for them.” The following month, he cut financial aid to South Africa.

Ramaphosa pushed back against Trump’s remarks, asserting that no land had been confiscated and that the new legislation aimed to guarantee “fair and just access to land in accordance with the constitution.”

Despite this, diplomatic hostilities have escalated. Last week, Washington expelled South Africa’s ambassador, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio branding him a “race-baiting politician.”