South Africa criticises US plan to accept white Afrikaners as refugees

South Africa has criticised the US as reports emerge suggesting Washington could receive white Afrikaners as refugees as early as next week.

A document seen by the BBC’s US partner CBS describes the potential resettlement as a “priority” for President Donald Trump’s government, however the timing has not been publicly confirmed by the White House.

In a statement published on Friday, South Africa’s foreign ministry described the purported move as “politically motivated” and designed to undermine South Africa’s “constitutional democracy”.

In February, Trump described Afrikaners as victims of “racial discrimination” in an executive order, opening up the prospect for them to resettle in the US.

The South African authorities said they would not block the departures of those chosen for resettlement, but said they had sought assurances from the US that those selected had been fully vetted and did not have pending criminal charges.

The statement added that allegations of discrimination against the country’s white minority were unfounded, and that crime statistics did not indicate that any racial group had been targeted in violent crimes on farms.

Some groups representing the rights of white farmers have said they are being deliberately killed because of their race.

A spokesperson for the US state department told the BBC they were interviewing individuals interested in resettling in the US and prioritising “Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination”.

They did not confirm when the resettlement would begin.

The Trump administration has also accused South Africa of seizing land from white farmers without compensation, something Pretoria has repeatedly denied.

Elon Musk, a top adviser in the Trump administration who grew up in South Africa during apartheid, has been critical of Pretoria, claiming that it is leading a “genocide” against white farmers.

US officials have planned a press event on Monday at Dulles airport in Virginia to welcome the group, the documents seen by CBS show.

According to US media, 54 Afrikaners will arrive as part of the first group.

The decision to accept South Africans as refugees comes as the Trump administration has halted nearly all migrant asylum claims.

In February, South Africa criticised Trump’s executive order opening the US up to the resettlement of white Afrikaners, saying in a statement that “it is ironic” the US is open to accepting a group “that remains amongst the most economically privileged” while denying vulnerable people from other parts of the world asylum.