President Cyril Ramaphosa has strongly criticized the recent emigration of 59 white South Africans to the United States, describing their departure as an act of cowardice and rejecting claims that they qualify as refugees. His comments come amid a growing diplomatic rift with Washington, following the U.S. government’s decision to grant the group refugee status on grounds of racial discrimination.
The Afrikaners, who arrived in the U.S. on Monday, were welcomed by senior American officials after being granted asylum by President Donald Trump. Trump cited fears over alleged racial persecution in South Africa—a claim his ally, Elon Musk, has echoed, referencing what they have described as a “genocide” of white farmers. However, the assertion has been widely discredited by human rights organizations and analysts.
Speaking at an agricultural event in the Free State province, Ramaphosa denounced the group’s decision to emigrate.
“As South Africans, we are resilient. We don’t run away from our problems. We must stay here and solve our problems. When you run away you are a coward, and that’s a real cowardly act,” he stated.
Ramaphosa framed the move as a rejection of post-apartheid reforms intended to address long-standing racial inequalities, describing it as “a sad moment for them.”
“If you look at all national groups in our country, black and white, they’ve stayed in this country because it’s our country and we must not run away from our problems. We must stay here and solve our problems,” he added.
“I can bet you that they will be back soon because there is no country like South Africa,” he said.
The president’s remarks have sparked a backlash on social media, where some users viewed the term “cowards” as dismissive of the frustrations many white South Africans feel regarding safety and land reform policies.
Tensions between the U.S. and South African governments have been simmering since January, when Ramaphosa signed a controversial law that allows the state to expropriate land without compensation under certain conditions deemed “equitable and in the public interest.” While the law has yet to be applied in practice, it has fueled anxieties among some landowners, particularly in the white farming community. More than three decades after the end of apartheid, the vast majority of South Africa’s prime farmland remains under white ownership, contributing to frustrations over the slow pace of redistribution.
Trump’s administration has openly criticized the South African government, accusing it of unfair treatment toward white farmers and, more recently, offering to resettle Afrikaners.
The group arriving Monday was greeted by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau, who said:
“Welcome to the land of the free,” as they arrived at Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C.
Some travelers carried young children and waved American flags, with the terminal decorated in red, white, and blue balloons. Officials described them as having lived “under a shadow of violence and terror” in South Africa.
In a separate address earlier that day at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Ramaphosa responded to the U.S. narrative, recalling a recent phone call with Trump.
“We’re the only country on the continent where the colonisers came to stay and we have never driven them out of our country,” he said, firmly denying the persecution claims.
Ramaphosa also questioned the validity of the group’s refugee status, stating they “don’t fit the bill” and confirmed he would soon meet with Trump to discuss the matter further.
In response to the controversy, Trump has reportedly threatened to boycott the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa unless the issue is resolved to his satisfaction.
