South Africa Rejects US Request to Host Kenyan Workers for Afrikaner Refugee Program
The South African government has rejected a request from the United States to fast-track visas for 30 Kenyan workers who were meant to assist in processing Afrikaner applicants for refugee resettlement in the US.
The plan, initiated under President Donald Trump’s administration, proposed stationing the Kenyan staff in South Africa for two years while the resettlement window remained open.
The workers, based in Nairobi, are contracted through Church World Service and would support the Afrikaner resettlement initiative via Resettlement Support Center Africa (RSC Africa).
Visa applications for the 30 Kenyan staff were submitted to South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs on July 29, 2025.
However, the South African government has not approved the request and has expressed strong opposition to the program’s underlying premise.
In a statement issued on May 12, the US Mission to South Africa said:
“The Department of State is coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security and Resettlement Support Center Africa (RSC Africa) to consider eligibility for U.S. refugee resettlement for people who are of Afrikaner ethnicity or a member of a racial minority in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination.”
Despite these assurances, South African officials have firmly rejected the classification of Afrikaners as refugees. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya stated:
“Our position is that there are no South African citizens who can be classified as refugees to any part of the world, including the US.
“On the contrary, South Africa has been and remains a home for refugees from all over the world, in particular refugees from parts of our continent embroiled in conflict.”
Government Communication and Information System spokesperson Nomonde Mnukwa confirmed that the matter was not formally discussed in Cabinet:
“The subject was not on the formal agenda of the last Cabinet meeting, and no written submission was submitted for discussions in Cabinet.”
According to The Kenya Times, the US State Department is relying on RSC Africa’s Nairobi-based team due to its long-standing role in refugee processing under the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
RSC Africa, which has operated independently of the South African government for over two decades, will handle applicant communications and inquiries.
The plan has stirred diplomatic unease. Magwenya revealed that President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the issue directly with President Trump during a phone call in April:
“During the call between President Ramaphosa and President Trump, President Ramaphosa affirmed the truthful nature of the state of our country. He further affirmed that the information President Trump had been given was completely false.”
South Africa’s rejection of the US refugee plan isn’t just diplomatic—it’s a direct challenge to how refugee status is defined and deployed.
As Washington presses forward, the controversy exposes a fault line between foreign policy ambitions and national sovereignty.
