No Gracias: White South Africans Reject Trump's Immigration Offer
In response to U.S. President Donald Trump's recent offer to resettle white South Africans facing persecution, many Afrikaners are declining the chance to move to the U.S., with some even questioning the validity of the offer. Trump’s executive order, which aims to cut U.S. aid to South Africa due to land expropriation laws, proposed resettling “Afrikaners” who are “victims of unjust racial discrimination.” These laws, signed by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, are part of efforts to address racial land ownership disparities that date back to apartheid.
However, many white South Africans are not keen on leaving their homeland. “If you haven’t got any problems here, why would you want to go?” said Neville van der Merwe, a 78-year-old pensioner. He added that life is continuing normally for many in the country, and there’s no significant land grab happening. The new law seeks to make it easier for the government to expropriate land to rectify inequalities left by apartheid, where 85% of land was owned by the white minority.
Despite the U.S. offer, the Afrikaner-led group AfriForum, which lobbied the Trump administration on this issue, rejected the proposal. Kallie Kriel, AfriForum’s CEO, explained that emigration would threaten Afrikaners’ cultural identity, something they are unwilling to risk. Similarly, the Solidarity Movement, which represents a large group of Afrikaner families, expressed its commitment to South Africa, rejecting the idea of repatriation as refugees.
Even Orania, an Afrikaner-only community in South Africa, turned down the offer, reaffirming its love for their homeland. Some South Africans did express gratitude for the gesture, with carpenter Werner van Niekerk calling it “a very nice gesture” but offering no plans to emigrate.
Others took to social media with humorous responses, questioning the logistics of the offer, including whether there would be a test for “Afrikanerness” or if South African billionaire Elon Musk would assist in the transition. Despite Trump’s controversial actions, it’s clear that many white South Africans prefer to stay and face the challenges of their own country rather than leave it behind.
