Government hits out at Trump Afrikaner refugee plan

South Africa has criticised the US amid reports it could receive white Afrikaners as refugees as early as next week.

A document seen by the BBC’s US partner, CBS, describes the potential resettlement as a “priority” for President Donald Trump’s government, however the timing has not been publicly confirmed by the White House.

In a statement published on Friday, South Africa’s foreign ministry described the purported move as “politically motivated” and designed to undermine South Africa’s “constitutional democracy”.

In February President Trump described Afrikaners as victims of “racial discrimination” in an executive order, opening up the prospect for them to resettle in the US.

The South African authorities said they would not block the departures of those chosen for resettlement, but that the government had sought assurances from its American counterpart that those selected had been fully vetted and did not have pending criminal charges.

South Africa reiterated that allegations of discrimination against the country’s white minority are unfounded, adding that crime statistics do not indicate that any racial group has been targeted in violent crimes on farms.

Some groups representing the rights of white farmers have said they are being deliberately killed because of their race.

A spokesperson for the US state department told the BBC they were interviewing individuals interested in resettling in the US, and prioritising “Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination”, but would not confirm when the resettlement would begin.

The Trump administration has also accused South Africa of seizing land from white farmers without compensation, something Pretoria has repeatedly denied.