On 9 February 2025, President Donald Trump made a controversial offer to “rehouse” White South Africans and label them as refugees; this occurred shortly after current President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa announced that he aimed to improve land inequalities that stem from South Africa’s history of white supremacy, according to Reuters.

Issues of inequality and land reform have long been prevalent in South Africa. Specifically, in 1913, the Native Lands Act restricted land ownership for Black South Africans and permitted large sums of land to be owned by White South Africans who were lesser in numbers. After the end of apartheid in 1994, land reform initiatives were implemented to promote equality and end economic division, but progress has been slow-moving. Various groups, including the African National Congress (A.N.C.) and Orania, have spoken out about the ongoing inequalities still prevalent in South Africa. Currently, there are various debates surrounding land exploitation; to solve the ongoing crisis, government officials aim to address property rights and correct economic instability. In 2018, President Donald Trump tweeted about concerns surrounding land seizures and violence against White landowners in South Africa. After his tweet was posted, there has been a heightening of international attention surrounding the issue. Responses to his claims range from people claiming that White farmers are indeed facing a heightened risk of crime to other people arguing that the current violence and economic challenges affects all South Africans, regardless of race. 

President Trump’s executive order offered “resettlement in the U.S. for Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination.” Many Afrikaners and organizations argue that this is not a true reflection of the country. President Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (A.N.C.) said, “Trump is amplifying misinformation.” A.N.C. also stated that “emigration only offers an opportunity for Afrikaners who are willing to risk potentially sacrificing their descendants’ cultural identity.” Another source known as Orania (an Afrikaner-only enclave) stated that “Afrikaners do not want to be refugees. We love and are committed to our homeland.” Furthermore, the Solidarity Movement in South Africa, which represents 2 million Afrikan individuals, stated that “as in any community, there are individuals who wish to emigrate, but repatriation of Afrikaners as refugees is not a solution for us.” Citizens of the country have also spoken about President Trump’s proposal; for example, Neville van der Merwe, a 78-year-old pensioner in Cape Town, stated, “If you have not got any problems here, why would you want to go.” 

President Donald Trump’s proposal reflects a self-interested and inaccurate approach to international affairs. Evidently, many South Africans deny the need to flee the country, which directly contradicts the proposal presented by President Trump. The lack of mass emigration suggests that White South Africans do not feel unsafe or fearful in their country. This debunks the need for a proposal to accept White South Africans as refugees in America. President Trump’s proposal ignores the broader socio-economic struggles all South Africans face, regardless of race. Furthermore, his willingness to accept White South Africans contrasts significantly with his broader immigration policies, which have limited asylum for refugees from war-torn countries and made legal migration more difficult for people in need of sanctuary. South Africa’s challenges require long-term solutions and economic reform, not political gestures that fabricate the truth for domestic gain.

President Donald Trump’s proposal to provide refuge to White South Africans remains not only self-interested but also inaccurate to the socio-economic landscape of the country. Many individuals and organizations throughout the country claim that there is no desire to leave South Africa, thus rendering President Trump’s proposal inaccurate.