A total of 67,042 South Africans have expressed interest in relocating to the United States following President Donald Trump’s executive order offering resettlement to members of the country’s Afrikaner community. The South African Chamber of Commerce in the USA (Saccusa) reported a surge in registrations on its website, with tens of thousands seeking more information about the opportunity to move. The offer was made after Trump declared that Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch settlers from the 17th century, were victims of “unjust racial discrimination” in South Africa.
The Saccusa group, which represents South African businesspeople living in the US, said most of those interested in resettling were aged between 25 and 45, with families of two to three dependants. While the organisation is not an official government body, it became involved in registering interest after being inundated with requests for details on resettlement. The list of those who registered has been handed over to the US embassy in Pretoria, which confirmed receipt of the information.
The offer has added fuel to the growing tensions between South Africa and the US, which escalated in January when South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law a bill allowing land expropriation without compensation. The law was intended to address land inequality by redistributing farmland from the white minority. Trump’s response to the bill, including signing the executive order to offer Afrikaner refugees status and cutting aid to South Africa, has worsened the diplomatic rift between the two countries. This discord reached a new level when the US expelled South Africa’s ambassador last week, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio accusing him of “race-baiting.”