South Africa’s new US envoy rejects Trump’s ‘white genocide’ claim

South Africa’s new ambassador to the United States, Roelf Meyer, has rejected Donald Trump’s claim of a genocide against white Afrikaners and called for the executive order underpinning their US refugee pathway to be revoked. [1]

Speaking to Ione Wells for the BBC World Service’s The Interview, published on 24 September 2026, Meyer said the notion of a mass attack on Afrikaners had been misrepresented. Citing his own experience as an Afrikaner, he described it as “something that just doesn’t exist”. BBC News reported his remarks the following day. [1] [2]

His comments come as the Trump administration proposes a ceiling of 17,500 refugee admissions for the 2027 US fiscal year, with places going primarily to Afrikaners from South Africa. Associated Press and CNN reported on 22 September that the administration had submitted the proposal to Congress. [6] [7]

Trump’s executive order of 7 February 2025 directed officials to prioritise humanitarian relief, including refugee admission and resettlement, for Afrikaners it described as victims of unjust racial discrimination, consistent with US law. [3]

In a statement to the BBC, a White House spokeswoman defended the pathway as a “lifeline”. She said Afrikaners were being raped, maimed, killed and driven off their property across South Africa. [1]

Farm violence and the genocide claim

Gareth Newham, head of justice and violence prevention at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, rejected the genocide claim in an analysis published on 26 May 2025. He said robbery was the usual motive for farm murders, although some cases involved labour disputes or domestic violence. He also said inquiries into an alleged political campaign to force white farmers off their land had found no supporting evidence. [8]