South Africa hits back at US refugee plan to favour white Afrikaners

The South African government has condemned the Trump administration's policy of prioritizing refugee applications from white Afrikaners, stating that allegations of white genocide in South Africa are unsubstantiated and have been debunked. The controversy stems from President Trump's claims that white farmers face persecution and violence, which he raised with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, using misleading visual evidence including photos actually taken in the Democratic Republic of Congo and protest footage misrepresented as burial sites. South Africa points to official crime statistics showing white citizens are not disproportionately targeted, an open letter from Afrikaner community leaders rejecting the persecution narrative, and low application numbers as evidence contradicting Trump's claims.