THE GREAT TREK: South Africa slams departing Afrikaner refugees
By Sitha Maliwa:
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola. (Image: Facebook)
The departure of 49 white South Africans aboard a quiet charter flight from Johannesburg has erupted into a diplomatic and moral firestorm, not because they left, but because of what they claimed as they left: persecution.
They were granted refugee status by the United States, fleeing what they allege is racial targeting, rural violence, and state-sanctioned dispossession. But back home, the South African government has responded with disbelief - and thinly veiled fury.
DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri did not mince his words.
“You can’t be seeking refuge, then go back home, have a braai, and then return to the country where you say you’re safer,” Phiri told reporters...