A new chapter in the increasingly strained relationship between South Africa and the United States is taking shape, with Washington planning to make up to 17,500 refugee places available primarily to Afrikaners over the next US financial year.
The proposed allocation was detailed in a notice the US State Department sent to Congress on Tuesday, according to CBS News. The plan applies to fiscal year 2027, which begins in October, and would make Afrikaners the main beneficiaries of the allocation.
The announcement comes as debate over race, land reform, crime and minority rights continues to play out between Pretoria and Washington.
The planned allocation comes against the backdrop of a much broader change in America’s refugee programme.
Under President Donald Trump’s second administration, the US has largely halted refugee resettlement for people fleeing persecution and violence in other parts of the world, while creating an exemption for Afrikaners.
Thousands have already been resettled in the US under the programme during the past 18 months, according to CBS News. The latest proposal would extend the initiative into the next financial year.
The State Department has described Afrikaners as facing racial discrimination and cited concerns including land expropriation without compensation, employment and education policies, and rhetoric that it says contributes to violence against minority groups.
The South African government disputes that characterisation.
The refugee announcement follows a fresh diplomatic dispute over US visa restrictions announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this month.
Washington said the restrictions would target foreign nationals involved in or responsible for policies relating to race-based discrimination, uncompensated land seizures or the incitement of imminent violence against minority ethnic or racial groups in South Africa.
The measures form part of a wider deterioration in relations between the two countries, with the Trump administration repeatedly raising concerns about the treatment of South Africa’s white minority.
Pretoria, however, has rejected the US government’s characterisation of its domestic policies.
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola said the US position misrepresented South Africa’s policies and emphasised the country’s right to address the effects of its history through democratic and constitutional processes.
At the heart of the disagreement is South Africa’s approach to land and the broader question of how the country should address inequalities created during colonialism and apartheid.
Washington has raised concerns about land expropriation without compensation, while Pretoria argues that legislation introduced in democratic South Africa must be understood against the country’s history of racial dispossession.
Lamola has said South Africa’s laws are intended to address historical injustices and build a more equal society, while maintaining that disagreements with Washington should be dealt with through diplomatic engagement.
The debate is particularly sensitive in South Africa, where questions around land ownership, racial inequality and economic opportunity remain deeply connected to the country’s history.
The proposed 17,500 refugee places do not represent a general expansion of the US refugee programme. The State Department’s notice says the places will primarily be allocated to Afrikaners, while the administration continues to restrict refugee admissions for many other groups.
The programme is also expected to carry a significant cost. CBS News reported that the Afrikaner resettlement effort is projected to cost the US government about $500 million.
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Lamola pushes back on US visa curbs, says SA’s policies have been misrepresented
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