News24 | Not in our name: Afrikaners respond to the misuse of their story in US politics

Afrikaners speak out against the political misuse of their identity in the USA – a topic currently gaining prominence with reports in the New York Times, Washington Post, and locally.

As South Africans and Afrikaners, we write this response with concern and conviction. The Trump administration’s plan to prioritise white South Africans for refugee status, while drastically cutting overall refugee admissions, have brought our identity into the spotlight in ways that are deeply troubling.

We reject the narrative that casts Afrikaners as victims of racial persecution in post-apartheid South Africa. This framing, now being used to support the far-right “Great Replacement” theory in the United States, is not only misleading, but also dangerous. It distorts the realities of South Africa, weaponises our history, and reduces a complex social context and necessary levelling of playing fields into a simplistic symbol of white decline.

Let us be clear: South Africa faces serious challenges – crime, inequality, and the enduring legacy of apartheid. But these issues affect South Africans of all races. To cherry-pick white suffering and elevate it above others is dishonest and harmful. It feeds extremist ideologies that perpetuate division and have inspired real-world violence, including mass shootings.

We are not pawns in America’s culture wars. We are South Africans, part of a diverse, evolving nation still grappling with its past and striving toward a more just future. Our identity is not monolithic, nor is it defined by animosity between historical groupings. Afrikaners have done harm in the past, and we acknowledge that. As citizens of post-apartheid South Africa, we have dedicated ourselves to building our country. Singling us out as victims of multiracialism alienates us from our fellow-South Africans and harms relationships that have been fostered over the past 30 years.

What concerns us most is the hijacking of our ethnic identity by fringe groups – both in South Africa and abroad. Projects like “Make Afrikaners Great Again” do not represent us. They misrepresent our history and misappropriate our culture to promote exclusionary and racialised ideological agendas. We refuse to let organisations such as AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement speak for us – no single organisation has a clear or legitimate mandate to speak on behalf of all Afrikaners.

Afrikaners like us, who trace our South African roots to the 17th and 18th centuries choose to call ourselves members of an inclusive and diverse Afrikaans-speaking community. We share a language, and our cultural traditions and religious roots are the same, but our community holds a diversity of views. This diversity is entrenched in our folklore, and it is our strength, not our weakness. South Africa’s diversity enriches us.

The idea that white South Africans deserve special asylum status because of their race undermines the very principles of refugee protection. Vulnerability – not race – should guide humanitarian policy. To elevate white suffering above others is to reinforce a racialised worldview that elevates whiteness above others and sees white identity as under existential threat. This is not a reflection of our values or our lived experience. Calling crime in South Africa “white genocide” at a moment when Gaza and Sudan are showing in real time what that actually means, is crass and narcissistic.

This response is signed by Afrikaners who believe in truth, justice, and the importance of resisting the misuse of history. We urge our fellow South Africans and international observers to challenge these distorted narratives and to recognise the dignity of all people – not just those who fit a political agenda.

Co-Signed:

Anneliese Burgess, Journalist and writer

Rudi Buys, Leadership and Diversity Consultant

Prof Wannie Carstens, Extraordinary Professor North-West University

Rev Andries Cilliers, Dutch Reformed Church

Prof Fanie Cloete, Emeritus Professor of Policy Management and Governance, Universities of Johannesburg and Stellenbosch

Prof Piet Croucamp, Associate Professor of Political Studies and International Relations, North-West University

Frederik de Jager, Writer

Louise du Plessis, Lawyers for Human Rights

Prof Pierre de Vos, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Cape Town

Louise du Plessis, Lawyers for Human Rights

Dr Stan du Plessis, Economist and CEO, Stadio

Max du Preez, Author and journalist

Louis Gaigher, Commissioning editor, Wits University Press

Rudolf Gouws, Economist

Ambassador Gert Grobler, Former South African diplomat

Chris Heymans, Freelance public affairs commentator

Gielie Hoffman, Management consultant, writer

Willem Kempen, Journalist

Dr Lindie Koorts, Historian, University of Pretoria

Nick Koornhof, Ex-Member of Parliament

Judge Johann Kriegler

Ruda Landman, Journalist and writer

JP Landman, Political and economic analyst

Barend La Grange, Community Development Specialist

Andrew le Roux, Business leader & board member

Prof Andre le Roux, UCT

Dr Pepe Marais, Chief Purpose and Vision Officer, Joe Public

Prof Martin Oosthuizen, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning at North-West University (NWU)

Chris Otto, Co-founder of the PSG Group and Chairman of Zeder Investments

Nina Overton-de Klerk, Emeritus Professor in Strategic Communication, University Johannesburg

Hans Pienaar, Writer

Truida Prekel, Innovation Catalyst

Dr Jurie Schoeman, Theologian and pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church

Leane Spangenberg, Legal advisor

Chris Spies, Peacebuilding and Mediation Specialist

Deborah Steinmar, Writer

Dr Susan Steynberg, Formerly UCT Deputy Director, Library Services

Dr Mareli Stolp, Pianist, and academic

Rev Dr Petrus Strijdom, Clergy and Theologian

Rev Rudi Swanepoel, Dutch Reformed Church

Jacob van Garderen, Human rights advocate

Prof AA van Niekerk, Professor emeritus of philosophy and Director emeritus of the Centre for Applied Ethics, Stellenbosch University

Prof Anthoni van Nieuwkerk, Professor of International Relations, UNISA

Ali van Wyk, Journalist