South African President Cyril Ramaphosa ignited a political firestorm Tuesday by labeling Afrikaners who have fled the country as “cowards”, accusing them of abandoning their homeland to avoid the racial transformation policies that have become a cornerstone of post-apartheid governance.
The remarks came just one day after the first flight of 49 white South African refugees—primarily Afrikaners—landed in Washington, D.C. with the support of the Trump administration, which has granted them asylum based on claims of racial discrimination, persecution, and threats tied to South Africa’s aggressive land reform agenda.
Cyril Ramaphosa labeled them “cowards,” despite negotiating at Codesa and breaking promises. The man with numerous bodyguards set this trap thirty years ago. pic.twitter.com/CPpxEF85BY
— #Tiffany against 142 race based laws in SA (@SwordandFamine) May 14, 2025
Speaking at a surprise appearance at an agricultural convention, Ramaphosa blasted the refugees for seeking safety abroad:
“When you run away, you’re a coward—and that’s a real cowardly act… It’s a group of South Africans demonstrating that the changes and transformation we are embarking upon here, they are not favourably disposed to it.”
Ramaphosa added that “all national groups in our country, black and white,” had remained in South Africa to face its challenges. “We must not run away from our problems. We must stay here and solve our problems,” he insisted.
The president’s rhetoric underscores his administration’s frustration at both the exodus of white South Africans and the international backlash to the Expropriation Act, signed into law earlier this year, which permits land seizures without compensation under conditions deemed “in the public interest.”
The arrival of Afrikaner refugees in the U.S. marks a rare use of America’s asylum system to protect members of a racial majority group abroad. President Donald Trump has been vocal in his support, reportedly referencing the threat of land expropriation, anti-white violence, and political persecution as justification.
🇿🇦 President Cyril Ramaphosa responds:
Those people who are being enticed to go to the United States do not fit the definition of a refugee. They are not being persecuted or treated badly — they are leaving because they don’t want to embrace the changes taking place in our… pic.twitter.com/rnelIPTRe5
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) May 12, 2025
With an estimated 70,000 more Afrikaners seeking to apply under this policy, the issue has drawn sharp lines between Pretoria and Washington. Ramaphosa has dismissed the asylum claims as “misinformation” promoted by what he calls a “small group of South Africans with influence in the United States.”
The backdrop to Ramaphosa’s statements is increasingly tense. Some South African political figures have been open about hostility toward white farmers, with rhetoric that critics describe as incitement to violence. Meanwhile, authorities have investigated Afrikaner advocacy groups for allegedly spreading false narratives abroad—efforts cheered on by left-wing media outlets in the country.
But even amid official denials, the flight of skilled white South Africans continues, driven by concerns over property rights, safety, and marginalization under the government’s affirmative redistribution policies—commonly referred to as “transformation.”
Under transformation laws, economic and land equity are enforced with race-based quotas and regulations, often to the detriment of white South Africans, who now find themselves a minority both demographically and politically.
Note that South Africa’s ruling party denies Afrikaners are persecuted *in the same paragraph* that it accuses them of fleeing “transformation,” which is a process of racial redistribution enforced by law. So @MYANC admits, while denying, the legitimacy of the Afrikaners’ claim. https://t.co/MaGg3JvWmC
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) May 13, 2025
Ramaphosa is scheduled to meet President Trump in the U.S. next week, a meeting that promises to be fraught. Trump has made clear he views the South African land reform policy as a violation of property rights and has openly questioned whether the government is complicit in racially motivated violence.
Ramaphosa, who presents himself as a pro-business moderate, faces pressure from both sides—radical elements within his party pushing for more aggressive redistribution, and international investors and human rights advocates alarmed by the erosion of property protections and political pluralism.
