The South African Government has acknowledged the recent Presidential Determination made by the United States, where President Donald Trump set the refugee ceiling at 7 500, specifically focusing on white Afrikaner South Africans. 

In a document published on Thursday, the Trump administration stated that the United States refugee system would largely remain closed in 2026 to the millions of people worldwide fleeing unsafe conditions.

According to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, this programme remains concerning and still appears to rest on a premise that is factually inaccurate and a disregard for South African constitutional processes.

“The claim of a ‘white genocide’ in South Africa is widely discredited and unsupported by reliable evidence. 

“This is further evidenced by the courageous and patriotic open letter from prominent members of the Afrikaner community themselves, who have publicly rejected this very narrative. 

“Therefore, a programme designed to facilitate their immigration and resettlement as refugees is fundamentally flawed. The limited uptake of this offer by South Africans is a telling indicator of this reality.” 

The department said the South African Constitution guarantees the right of any citizen to emigrate through legal channels. 

“We must, however, draw a critical distinction between voluntary migration and refugee asylum. 

“Conflating the two is a serious mischaracterisation that carries significant legal consequences for individuals and undermines international protection systems.”

South Africa, the department said, values its strategic partnership with the United States and remains committed to collaborating on issues of mutual concern through dialogue and a shared respect for international law and national sovereignty.