The first group of white South Africans granted refugee status under a program initiated during Donald Trump’s presidency departed from Johannesburg’s main international airport on Sunday. A group of white citizens, with luggage packed for relocation, were seen processing through passport control for their charter flight to the United States.
According to South African transport department spokesperson Collen Msibi, 49 passengers were cleared for departure. “One of the conditions of the permit was to ensure that they were vetted in case one of them has a criminal issue pending,” Msibi told Reuters. Journalists were not granted access to the departing individuals.
The flight’s destination was Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C., with a subsequent connection to Texas. As of 8:30 p.m. (1830 GMT), the passengers had boarded but the plane had not yet taken off.
Trump’s offer of asylum to white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners, has generated controversy in both the U.S. and South Africa. In the U.S., it contrasted with the administration’s restrictions on refugees from predominantly non-white countries. In South Africa, it coincided with heightened racial tensions related to land and employment, issues that have persisted since the end of apartheid.
Despite a broader freeze on refugee admissions, Trump advocated for prioritizing Afrikaners, descendants of early Dutch settlers, citing their status as “victims of unjust racial discrimination.”
The decision to grant refugee status to white South Africans, who remain the most privileged group in the country, has been met with criticism from South African authorities. They argue that the Trump administration has intervened in a domestic political matter without full understanding.
Thirty years after the end of apartheid, white South Africans still hold a disproportionate share of the nation’s wealth. According to the Review of Political Economy, whites own approximately three-quarters of private land and possess about 20 times the wealth of the Black majority. Additionally, white South Africans experience the lowest rates of unemployment.
The claim that white South Africans face discrimination has gained traction among far-right groups and has been echoed by figures like Elon Musk.
