In the 18 hours after President Donald Trump's order to prioritise white Afrikaner South Africans for the US refugee programme, the South African Chamber of Commerce in the USA (SACCUSA) received over 10,000 relocation inquiries.
Image: Peter Zay / AFP
In the 18 hours after President Donald Trump's order to prioritise white Afrikaner South Africans for the US refugee programme, the South African Chamber of Commerce in the USA (SACCUSA) received over 10,000 relocation inquiries.
"President Trump signed an Executive Order on February 7, 2025, Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa, granting Afrikaners refugee status and facilitating their resettlement in the United States. In response, thousands of South Africans have reached out for information regarding the process and implications of this order.
"It is important to note that no official process has been established at this time. However, we are committed to keeping you informed as new information becomes available," the chamber said.
Chamber president, Neil Diamond, said these inquiries were from people who wanted to relocate to the US with their families. SACCUSA said the interest is alarming.
Diamond noted that SA's food security will be harmed by the move.
Commenting on the potential skills flight, Diamond explained that currently the chamber supports 11,000 temporary agricultural workers who travel from SA to the US to work on farms.
Speaking to the SABC, he said this move now paves the way for them to make use of this opportunity to live there permanently as they already have jobs in the US.
Diamond said while there are other sectors that could suffer, including manufacturing and finance, the signing directly impacts the country's food security and bi-national trade.
He said there needs to be an urgent meeting between the US and SA governments to address the underlying causes of Trump's executive order.
Trump's order comes in the wake of President Cyril Ramaphosa's signing of the Land Expropriation bill.
Responding to Trump's order, Afrikaner lobby groups have declined Trump's offer.
"AfriForum expressed its great appreciation for Trump and the US’s recognition of the injustice to which Afrikaners are subjected in South Africa. However, the civil rights organisation and its sister institutions in the Solidarity Movement remain committed to Afrikaners’ future at the southern tip of Africa and insist that urgent solutions must therefore be found for the injustices committed by the South African government against Afrikaners and other cultural communities in the country," AfriForum said.
seanne.rall@iol.co.za
IOL
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