The South African government has said it will not block a controversial United States refugee resettlement programme that is aimed at relocating members of the country’s white minority, even as it firmly rejects claims that they face state sponsored persecution.
According to diplomatic communications shared between officials, Pretoria has given assurances to Washington that it will not interfere with the programme which seeks to resettle mainly Afrikaner applicants in the United States under America’s refugee admissions framework.
The issue has been a source of tension between the two countries in recent months. U.S. officials have promoted the programme as a humanitarian response to what they describe as race based persecution in South Africa, a characterisation that South African authorities strongly dispute.
Government officials in Pretoria have repeatedly dismissed allegations of systematic persecution of white citizens insisting that crime and social challenges affect all South Africans, regardless of race. They have also maintained that the country’s land reform policies are constitutional and do not amount to grounds for refugee status under international law.
Despite these disagreements, South Africa has opted not to obstruct the U.S. initiative, signalling a desire to avoid further diplomatic escalation. The decision follows earlier incidents that strained relations, including a raid by South African authorities on a U.S. linked refugee processing facility which drew protests from Washington.
The programme itself has generated sharp debate internationally with critics arguing that prioritising a white minority group contradicts global refugee norms which traditionally focus on people fleeing war, conflict or clearly documented persecution. Supporters in the U.S.however, say the initiative is justified on humanitarian grounds.
South Africa’s Department of International Relations has emphasised that while it does not endorse the programme’s underlying claims, it respects the right of other countries to manage their own immigration and refugee policies.
As discussions continue behind the scenes officials on both sides appear keen to stabilise relations even as broader disagreements persist over human rights narratives, land reform and geopolitical alignment.
For now, the refugee programme is expected to proceed without obstruction marking a cautious easing of tensions in an otherwise fragile diplomatic relationship between Pretoria and Washington.