Afrikaners relocating to US could lose their refugee status should they decide to return to SA

JOHANNESBURG - Nearly 50 Afrikaners headed to the United States (US) as refugees stand to lose their status should they decide to return to South Africa.

The Department of International Relations said a group of 49 white Afrikaaners en route to America under a controversial resettlement programme could jeopardise their refugee protections if they try to come back.

ALSO READ: SA transport officials detail flight plan for aircraft carrying 49 Afrikaners relocating to US

The group is travelling under US President Donald Trump’s executive order, which gives special entry to white South Africans claiming persecution, despite widespread rejection of the claim by the South African government.

Their flight is set to land at Dulles Airport outside Washington, DC. What happens after that, including where they’ll live and what support they receive, is entirely up to the US government.

Their refugee applications, like all others, are handled confidentially, and South African officials said they’ve had no hand in the process.

But the legal implications back home are significant.

Diplomatic protections fall away, and while section 20 of the Constitution guarantees that “no citizen may be deprived of citizenship,” returning under false claims could lead to court challenges over fraud or misrepresentation.

Department of International Relations spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said refugee status isn’t a revolving door.

“You really can’t have your cake and eat it. You cannot go to the US on migration and economic interest and suddenly decide, ‘I miss South African weather in December, I would like to have a braai with my friends in Pretoria,’ and come back. No, it does not work like that. That is something you have to forgo.”

For now, the first cohort of those fleeing what the government calls a false narrative of persecution is on its way, with more expected to follow in the coming weeks.