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South Africa has criticised the United States’ decision to prioritise white South Africans for refugee status, arguing that the policy is based on “widely discredited” claims that the minority group is being persecuted.
On Friday, the South African foreign ministry released a statement arguing that Washington’s focus on white South Africans is based on “factually inaccurate” and “widely discredited” claims of persecution, including the narrative of “white genocide.”
The ministry asserted that this policy mischaracterises the situation and undermines international refugee systems.
The statement also referenced an open letter signed by members of the Afrikaner community who rejected the portrayal of themselves as victims of racist persecution.
The US policy, implemented by the Trump administration, follows months of tensions between the two nations over these allegations.
This diplomatic friction has recently included the US expelling South Africa’s ambassador and imposing 30 per cent tariffs on certain South African goods.
