"‘No thanks’: White South Africans reject Trump’s immigration offer"

Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s offer to resettle white South Africans as refugees fleeing persecution, even right-wing Afrikaner groups have largely declined, choosing instead to "tackle the injustices" of Black majority rule at home.

Trump signed an executive order on Friday cutting U.S. aid to South Africa, citing an expropriation law recently enacted by President Cyril Ramaphosa to address historical land inequalities. The order also provided for the resettlement of "Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination" in the U.S. Afrikaners, descendants of early Dutch and French settlers, still own most of the country’s farmland.

However, many Afrikaners see no urgent reason to leave.

"If you haven't got any problems here, why would you want to go?" said Neville van der Merwe, a 78-year-old pensioner from Bothasig, near Cape Town. "There hasn't been any really bad land takeovers. People are carrying on like normal."

The land reform law aims to correct racial disparities in land ownership—currently, three-quarters of privately owned land remains in white hands—by easing state expropriation for public benefit. Ramaphosa has defended the policy, despite resistance from groups like AfriForum, which has accused him of fueling misinformation.

White South Africans make up 7.2% of the country’s 63 million population, though no precise data exists on the number of Afrikaners. Historically, under British rule and later apartheid policies, most farmland was handed to whites. In 1950, the National Party seized 85% of land, displacing 3.5 million Black South Africans.

AfriForum, which previously lobbied Trump’s administration, rejected the refugee offer.

"Emigration is an option only for those willing to sacrifice their Afrikaner identity. That price is too high," said AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel.

The Solidarity Movement, representing 600,000 Afrikaner families, also dismissed the idea.

"We may disagree with the ANC, but we love our country," the group stated. "Repatriation as refugees is not a solution for us."

Even Orania, an Afrikaner-only enclave, refused Trump’s offer.

"Afrikaners do not want to be refugees. We love and are committed to our homeland," the community said.

While some Afrikaners appreciated Trump's gesture, others reacted with humor.

"Some questions: Is there a test to determine your Afrikanership? Must you hold AfriForum membership? Will Elon (Musk) help with startup cash? Are there bakkies (pickup trucks) in the U.S.?" joked author Pieter du Toit on X.

Despite Trump's intervention, South Africa has never implemented forced seizures of white-owned land, and for now, the vast majority of Afrikaners appear to be staying put.