South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has dismissed claims that white Afrikaners emigrating to the United States qualify as refugees, asserting that they are not fleeing persecution but rather resisting the democratic transformation underway in post-apartheid South Africa.
Speaking at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan on Monday, Ramaphosa addressed a growing international debate triggered by a February executive order from former US President Donald Trump, which authorized the resettlement of Afrikaners in the United States. Trump’s order referred to the group as victims of “unjust racial discrimination.”
Ramaphosa, appearing on a panel alongside his counterparts from Rwanda and Mauritania, rejected that characterisation. “A refugee is someone who flees their country because of political, religious, or economic persecution. That is not the case here,” he said.
Afrikaners—descendants of Dutch, German, and French colonial settlers—formed the backbone of South Africa’s apartheid regime, which enforced racial segregation and white minority rule until 1994. Unlike many other former colonies on the continent, South Africa did not expel its colonial settlers, a point Ramaphosa underscored.
“We are the only African country where the colonisers came to stay. We never drove them out,” he said. He added that those now seeking refuge abroad belong to “a fringe grouping” opposed to transformation and social justice.
Reports suggest the first group of white South Africans are set to arrive in the United States this week under Trump’s directive. But Ramaphosa questioned the motives behind their departure, saying they are not being targeted or mistreated.
“They are not being persecuted, hounded, or harmed. They are leaving because they do not want to be part of the changes taking place in South Africa—changes rooted in our Constitution and democratic ideals,” he said.
Ramaphosa revealed that he had spoken directly with Trump over the phone to dispute the claims made by those applying for refugee status. “What you’ve been told by those who are opposed to change in South Africa is simply not true,” he recounted.
In addition to authorising refugee resettlement, Trump’s February executive order also cut US financial aid to South Africa. The order cited concerns over the country’s land reform programme, Pretoria’s support for a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and its expanding relations with Iran.
Ramaphosa said he expressed interest in travelling to Washington to continue the conversation and provide clarity on the domestic situation.
“This group wants to take the country back to a time we’ve long moved beyond,” Ramaphosa said. “But South Africa is committed to inclusivity, reform, and healing the deep scars of its past.”