In brief
South Africa’s appointed ambassador to the United States, Roelf Meyer, has publicly denied President Trump’s assertion that white Afrikaners are facing a genocide. Meyer, a former mediator in the end‑of‑apartheid negotiations, said the notion is unfounded and that crime statistics overwhelmingly show that the majority of violent incidents involve black perpetrators. The U.S. administration has, meanwhile, opened a refugee pathway that has already accepted nearly 13,000 applicants, most of whom are South African. Meyer urged a dialogue with Washington to address misunderstandings and emphasized that South Africa’s challenges are shared by all communities, not just a single minority.
South Africa’s Ambassador to Washington, Roelf Meyer, has publicly dismissed President Donald’s claim that a genocide against white Afrikaners is occurring in the country.
Meyer, a born Afrikaner who helped broker the end of apartheid, told the BBC that the allegations are “a mass attack on white Afrikaners” and that such a "genocide" does not exist. He added that his own experience gives him the legitimacy to speak on the matter.
The issue was brought to the United States by Trump’s administration, which introduced a refugee pathway that has already admitted nearly 13,000 applicants—most of them South Africans. Trump has characterised the policy as a lifeline for Afrikaners who, he argues, face violence and persecution, while critics say the data does not support claims of a targeted campaign.
“Police data shows the majority of victims of crime in South Africa, including on farms, are black,” Meyer said. “Crime is a problem, but it is not the same as persecution.”
In addition to the refugee debate, the U.S. has expressed concerns about South Africa’s initiatives to increase non‑white employment and a land expropriation law that can, in exceptional circumstances, remove property without compensation. Meyer has urged Washington to revoke the executive order that underpins the refugee programme, arguing that South Africa has not prohibited people from leaving and that it has addressed U.S. concerns.
Meyer ended the interview by urging both governments to focus on internal solutions: “It doesn’t help us to raise a voice outside if we are not committed to doing something inside the country.”
