Ramaphosa Slams Afrikaner Emigration to U.S. as “Cowardly” Amid Tensions with Trump
Johannesburg, South Africa – 14 May 2025
President Cyril Ramaphosa has sharply criticized a group of 59 white South Africans who emigrated to the United States this week after being granted refugee status, calling their departure “cowardly” and saying, “They’ll be back soon.”
The group of Afrikaners—descendants of Dutch settlers—arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday after President Donald Trump offered them resettlement, claiming they were fleeing racial discrimination and violence in South Africa. Trump and his ally, billionaire Elon Musk, have repeatedly alleged a “genocide” against white farmers in the country—a claim widely rejected by international human rights bodies and the South African government.
Speaking at an agricultural exhibition in South Africa’s Free State province, Ramaphosa accused the emigrants of being unwilling to support the country’s post-apartheid transformation. “Those who want to leave are not happy with efforts to address the inequities of the apartheid past,” he said. “When you run away, you are a coward, and that’s a real cowardly act.”
His remarks sparked heated debate online, with some social media users accusing him of dismissing the grievances of white South Africans, while others praised his stance on national resilience.
Political Fallout and U.S. Tensions
The arrival of the group in the U.S. was met with fanfare. They were welcomed at Dulles International Airport by Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau, who hailed their arrival as a rescue from “a shadow of violence and terror.” The new arrivals, some holding children and waving small American flags, were greeted under red, white, and blue banners.
Trump’s administration has accused the South African government of seizing white-owned land without compensation and failing to protect white farmers from violence. Earlier this year, President Ramaphosa signed a controversial land expropriation law, which allows the government to seize land without compensation if deemed “equitable and in the public interest.” However, officials say no land has yet been taken under the new legislation.
In a separate speech on Monday at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Ramaphosa rejected the U.S. claims. “I told President Trump directly: it’s not true,” he said. “We’re the only country on the continent where the colonisers came to stay and we have never driven them out of our country.”
Future Talks and Diplomatic Pressure
Ramaphosa confirmed that he plans to meet with Trump soon to discuss the dispute. Trump has reportedly threatened to boycott the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa unless the issue of land reform and white farmer safety is “taken care of.”
Ramaphosa also dismissed the refugee status granted to the 59 Afrikaners, saying, “They don’t fit the bill for refugees. It’s a sad moment for them, not for us.”
Despite the rising tensions, the South African government maintains that its policies are aimed at correcting historical injustices and promoting land equity in a peaceful, legal framework. Currently, a disproportionate share of arable land remains in white ownership more than three decades after the end of apartheid.
As political pressure builds on both sides of the Atlantic, the emigration of these 59 individuals has now become a flashpoint in broader debates about race, reform, and national identity in South Africa—and about how such issues are perceived and politicized abroad.