Over 10,000 white South African farmers to relocate to US as Trump and Ramaphosa show each other who's the boss

A diplomatic row is brewing between South Africa and the United States, as over 10,000 white South African farmers have reportedly expressed interest in relocating to the US following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. The move has ignited a fierce debate, raising concerns about the potential economic and social repercussions for South Africa.

On February 7, 2025, Trump signed an executive order freezing aid to South Africa and prioritising the resettlement of Afrikaners in the United States as refugees. The White House cited South Africa’s recently enacted Expropriation Without Compensation Act, arguing that it discriminates against the white minority population by allowing the state to seize land without compensation.

The administration further accused the South African government of fostering policies that undermine equal opportunities and contribute to racially targeted violence against landowners.

According to the order, the US Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security will take steps to admit and resettle Afrikaners under the United States Refugee Admissions Program, aiming to provide humanitarian relief to those allegedly facing systemic discrimination.

Speaking to SABC News, Neil Diamond, president of the South African Chamber of Commerce in the USA, warned of a potential mass exodus of skilled agricultural professionals. He noted that within just 18 hours of the executive order’s announcement, over 10,000 inquiries had been received from South Africans seeking information on refugee status and relocation to the US. He emphasised that the departure of experienced farmers could have severe consequences for South Africa’s food security, agricultural value chain, and economic stability.

Additionally, Diamond noted that the Chamber supports approximately 11,000 temporary South African agricultural workers under the US H-2A visa program, many of whom may also seek permanent relocation along with their families. Diamond urged both governments to engage in urgent diplomatic discussions to address the underlying causes of this executive order and explore solutions that do not compromise economic stability. “At this stage, we do not have a clear understanding of what led the US president to take this action,” he said. “However, we have always maintained that policy decisions should be based on facts rather than misinformation.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa fired back at US President Donald Trump on Saturday, saying “there is no single group that faces persecution” in South Africa, after Trump signed an executive order to cut financial assistance to the country, citing claims of “race-based discrimination” against Afrikaners. “South Africa is a constitutional democracy. We value all South Africans, black and white. Our laws uphold the rights of all South Africans, and there is no single group that faces persecution or illegal deprivation of their rights as laid out in our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. The assertion that Afrikaners face arbitrary deprivation and therefore need to flee the country of their birth is an assertion devoid of all truth,” Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, told Daily Maverick on Saturday evening.

On Friday, Trump ordered that all US foreign assistance to South Africa be stopped and that his administration promote the resettlement of “Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored, race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation” in South Africa. In the order, titled “Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa”, Trump accused the South African government of, under the recently adopted Expropriation Act, seizing “ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation”, a claim Pretoria has refuted.

Trump also accused South Africa of taking what he claimed were “aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International Court of Justice, and reinvigorating its relations with Iran to develop commercial, military and nuclear arrangements”. “The United States cannot support the government of South Africa’s commission of rights violations in its country or its undermining United States foreign policy, which poses national security threats to our nation, our allies, our African partners, and our interests,” he stated.

The South African government has strongly condemned the executive order, describing it as misleading and based on misinformation. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) criticised the decision as factually inaccurate, arguing that it misrepresents South Africa’s socio-economic landscape. The government also pointed out the inconsistency in the US granting refugee status to a relatively privileged group while denying asylum to vulnerable populations from other parts of the world. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office reiterated that South Africa remains a constitutional democracy governed by the rule of law.

The government maintains that the Expropriation Bill does not amount to land confiscation but instead provides a legal framework for fair and lawful land redistribution. Officials called for constructive dialogue between the two nations, emphasising diplomacy over unilateral actions.

The Sunday Times reported that Ramaphosa will send envoys to Washington to persuade Trump to reconsider. Business leaders are also expected to meet their US counterparts — especially those with links to Musk, who has emerged as one of the most powerful people in Washington. Well-placed officials indicated that a meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow to devise a strategy before the high-powered government delegation leaves for Washington. It has also been established that the DA, which is part of the government of national unity, will send its own delegation to engage US decision-makers on the diplomatic standoff that has serious implications for the South African economy.

The South African Trade Union Solidarity Movement acknowledged that some Afrikaners might consider emigration but rejected mass resettlement as a viable solution. Solidarity chairperson Flip Buys emphasised that Afrikaners are deeply rooted in South Africa’s history and culture and should focus on building a future within the country rather than seeking asylum abroad. “The repatriation of Afrikaners as refugees is not a solution. We want to build a future in South Africa,” he said.