Almost 50 white Afrikaners on board flight to US as part of resettlement programme

JOHANNESBURG - A group of 49 white Afrikaners now classified as refugees are currently on board a flight destined for the United States (US) as part of Washington’s resettlement programme.

Their move to the US follows an executive order by President Donald Trump giving a small group of South Africans a lifeline amid false claims they are being persecuted in the country.

Although Trump halted virtually all other refugee programmes at the start of his presidency, his administration established the refugee resettlement programme to accommodate Afrikaners that claim to be fleeing South Africa.

The South African government has vehemently denied claims peddled by the US and some South African lobby groups about minority groups being targeted.

The Department of Transport spent hours on site facilitating the process to get the small group of Afrikaners up in the air.

Department spokesperson Collen Msibi said an application was lodged by Texas-based Omni Airways requesting permission for a private charter flight to operate in South Africa’s domestic airspace.

The application was then taken to the International Air Services Council for consideration.

Msibi explained what the application entails, “In the application, they then have to state the routes, how many flights, as well as the crew it has to be mentioned there.”

He said the application was approved on Friday, with the flight set to land at the Dulles Airport in Washington.

It's unclear at this stage where exactly in the US they will be settled once the administrative process is finalised.

DIRCO DENIES CLAIMS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has again denied claims of racial discrimination against a small group of Afrikaners who have now relocated to the United States (US) under refugee status on a resettlement programme.

Despite its objection to the false claims peddled by the group and the US administration, the ministry said the group is well within its rights.

“South Africa reiterates that the allegations of discrimination are unfounded,” said the spokesperson for the Minister of International Relations, Chrispin Phiri.

“The South African Police Services statistics on farm-related crimes do not support allegations of violent crimes targeted at farmers.”