U.S. enlists Amerikaners group in controversial white South African resettlement programme

A group known as Amerikaners, formed by white South Africans hoping to take up former U.S. President Donald Trump’s resettlement offer, has been enlisted by Washington to help screen applicants for the programme.

The refugee initiative, launched in February, was framed by Trump as a pathway for “Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination,” a reference to descendants of mainly Dutch settlers.

According to a statement released Monday by the U.S. Embassy in South Africa, Amerikaners has been designated as a Department of State referral partner. Under this role, the organisation will collect information from applicants, assess eligibility, and submit cases to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

South Africa’s government has condemned the policy, arguing that allegations of systemic racial persecution against white South Africans are “baseless.” Officials stress that the targeted group remains the most economically privileged demographic in the country and does not qualify as refugees under international law.

Despite initial ambitions to resettle around 30,000 people within a year, U.S. officials have acknowledged that fewer than 100 arrivals had been processed as of early August, underscoring the logistical and political challenges of the programme.

Amerikaners was established by Sam Busa, a 60-year-old South African of British descent, shortly after Trump’s executive order. The group has sought to mobilise support through petitions and a memorandum to the White House, pledging that its members—described as “Christian, conservative, and English-speaking”—are not seeking charity but rather “a chance to serve America.”

Busa has declined media requests for further comment.

A State Department spokesperson, without naming specific partners, stated: “We are grateful for the many South African citizens who have expressed their support for this refugee program.”