By Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro
Ramaphosa Criticizes White South Africans Resettling in US as “Cowards”
President Cyril Ramaphosa has criticized a group of 59 white South Africans who recently emigrated to the United States, calling their decision to leave “cowardly” and expressing confidence they would return. “They’ll be back soon,” he said.
The group, primarily Afrikaners, arrived in the U.S. on Monday after being granted refugee status by President Donald Trump, who claimed they were fleeing racial discrimination in South Africa.
Ramaphosa, however, rejected this claim, suggesting those leaving were uncomfortable with the government’s attempts to redress the injustices of apartheid. “This is a sad moment for them,” he said. “As South Africans, we are resilient. We don’t run away from our problems—we stay and solve them. Running away is a cowardly act.”
Claims by Trump and South African-born tech billionaire Elon Musk of a “white genocide” in South Africa have been widely discredited. The U.S. government has also criticized South Africa’s land reform efforts, alleging land was being taken from white farmers without compensation.
Despite the end of apartheid over 30 years ago, land ownership remains heavily skewed, with the majority of fertile land still in white hands. This has fueled frustration over the slow pace of land redistribution. In January, Ramaphosa signed a law allowing for land expropriation without compensation under certain conditions, though the government says no such seizures have occurred yet.
Trump’s administration has offered resettlement to the Afrikaners, whom he described as escaping a “terrible situation.” The group was welcomed at Washington Dulles Airport by senior U.S. officials, including Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau. “Welcome to the land of the free,” Landau said during their arrival, which included families with young children waving American flags.
Speaking at an agricultural expo in South Africa’s Free State province on Monday, Ramaphosa reiterated his position, saying the emigrants were not supportive of efforts to address the country’s socio-economic challenges. “If you look at all national groups—black and white—they’ve stayed because this is our country. We don’t abandon it,” he said. “I can bet you they will be back soon. There’s no place like South Africa.”
His remarks, particularly the “cowards” comment, sparked backlash on social media, with critics calling it dismissive of white South Africans’ concerns.
Earlier that day, during an address at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Ramaphosa stated he had recently discussed the issue with President Trump, disputing the narrative that Afrikaners are facing persecution. “We are the only country on the continent where the colonizers came to stay, and we have never driven them out,” he said.
Ramaphosa also questioned the refugee status of the emigrants, saying they “don’t fit the bill” according to international criteria. The U.S. Embassy in South Africa outlines that eligible refugees must be South African nationals from a racial minority who can demonstrate past persecution or a well-founded fear of future persecution.
The South African president is expected to meet with his U.S. counterpart soon to discuss the matter further.
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