A group of 49 South African Afrikaners departed for the United States on Sunday night under US President Donald Trump’s offer for the “discriminated” South African individuals and families to relocate.
Image: Screengrab/eNCA/YouTube
The Solidarity Movement said it was saddened to see visuals of almost 50 South African Afrikaners relocating to the United States as refugees, but the organisation said it respects their decisions.
IOL reported on Monday that a chartered plane ferrying 49 South Africans left the OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday night, heading to Washington DC with the first batch of refugees following the offer made by US President Donald Trump in February.
After Trump’s proclamations, which also cut funding to South Africa, Afrikaner-rights groups, particularly AfriForum and Solidarity, were heavily criticised, accused of peddling misinformation during their campaigns in the United States.
On Monday night, Werner Human, the Solidarity Movement's head of operations, told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that during the numerous visits to Washington, the lobby groups were seeking to raise international awareness of the problems in South Africa with the hope of finding solutions.
“The images that we saw, of South Africans leaving the country last night or two nights ago, it is a sad image. It is a sad image because they are leaving the country. It is a sad image because they do not see any hope anymore for them in the country, and they would have preferred to stay in the country," he said.
“The circumstances that they presented and the decisions they have made compels them to go to the United States. What we envisaged with our visits (to the US) is what we have stated throughout the years, to alert the international communities of the many wrong things that are happening in the country on policy-level, and the solutions we propose."
Human said during their campaigns, part of their message which was well-received across the world was on finding solutions to the problems being experienced in South Africa.
“We say by far, most Afrikaners will remain in South Africa. We respect the decision of those that have decided to leave the country and go to the US. It is a sad situation. We are wanting to advance the solutions that we have here and therefore we remain committed to that endeavor,” he said.
United States President Donald Trump
Image: Kamil Krzaczynski / AFP
On Monday, IOL reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa is planning a meeting with Trump regarding the refugee status granted to a group of Afrikaners.
The critical meeting comes in the wake of a recent chartered flight that transported 49 Afrikaners to the US, leading to questions about their eligibility for refugee status.
President Ramaphosa addressed the issue on Monday at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where he made it clear that the beleaguered migrants did not conform to the established criteria for individuals deserving of refugee protection.
Ramaphosa said he spoke to Trump on Monday afternoon and told him that he had been provided with false information.
"I told him I would like to come and meet him so that we can discuss this matter further," said Ramaphosa.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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