Roelf Meyer wants to stop President Donald Trump’s Afrikaans refugee programme

Roelf Meyer, South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States, said he is working hard to get President Donald Trump’s executive order on South African refugees lifted.

He shared this information during the Clement Manyathela Show on Radio 702, where he discussed his work in the United States.

“The executive order issued by President Donald Trump in February 2025 still stands, and we have to find a way to get around it or at least try to get it revoked,” Meyer said.

“This is not going to be easy because it is President Trump and the White House behind it. It’s going to be tough. I have no doubt about that.”

He added that the unpredictability surrounding President Trump makes the matter more complicated to handle.

“The executive order in the first instance was totally unexpected. It is going to be tough, and I am being very honest with myself about that,” he said.

The issue dates back to 7 February 2025, when Trump signed Executive Order 14204, officially titled “Addressing Egregious Actions of The Republic of South Africa”.

The order targeted the South African government and created an exclusive resettlement pathway for Afrikaners affected by discrimination and violence.

Trump said that South Africa is confiscating land and mistreating certain classes of people. “The United States won’t stand for it. We will act,” he said.

Within the first month of the programme’s launch, the U.S. State Department said it had received over 8,000 initial inquiries.

The first group of 59 Afrikaner refugees arrived at Dulles International Airport on 12 May 2025. Since then, the programme has accelerated significantly.

Over the next year, approximately 6,500 South Africans, mostly white Afrikaners, left South Africa for the United States under the refugee programme.

In October 2025, the United States set a strict annual refugee cap of 7,500 for the entire 2026 fiscal year, effectively reserving nearly all of it for South Africans.

However, because the pipeline was completely bottlenecked by thousands of pending files, the U.S. administration issued an emergency declaration.

Through this declaration, the South African allocation was increased by an additional 10,000 slots, raising the ceiling to 17,500.

Although no official figures on the number of Afrikaners who have left South Africa are available, indications suggest that the refugee programme is over-subscribed.

Afrikaner refugee program slated by critics

The Afrikaner refugee program is controversial, with critics arguing that white people live a privileged life in the country.

The South African government, other institutions, and experts said that the country is a stable constitutional democracy.

On 8 February 2025, the government said that it had taken note of the latest executive order issued by President Trump.

“It is of great concern that the premise of this order lacks accuracy and fails to recognise South Africa’s history of colonialism and apartheid,” it said.

“We are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation.”

“It is disappointing to observe that such narratives seem to have found favour among decision-makers in the United States of America.”

It said it was ironic that the executive order makes provision for refugee status in the US for a group in South Africa that remains amongst the most economically privileged.

“Vulnerable people in the US from other parts of the world are being deported and denied asylum despite real hardship,” it said.

It added that violent crime affects citizens of all races in South Africa, making the refugee designations politically motivated.

International critics also argued that giving preference to Afrikaners over others worldwide does not reflect the humanitarian needs of the world.

However, the Trump administration is sticking to its plan. In May 2026, it announced plans to increase the Afrikaner intake target to 17,500.

Last week, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly released a statement supporting the Afrikaner refugee program.

“President Trump has provided a lifeline for Afrikaners, who are being raped, maimed, killed, and driven off their property across South Africa,” Kelly said.

“The South African government and many in the media have brushed off the horrific lived experiences of this community.”

“The Trump administration continues to process applications for refugee status because the President has a humanitarian heart.”