An appeal to the G20: reject the lies about “Afrikaner persecution” and affirm multilateralism

U.S. President Donald Trump has now made his position unmistakably clear: no refugees will be admitted to the United States except so-called “persecuted” Afrikaners.

As concerned Afrikaners, we appeal to the G20 countries that have just taken part in the G20 summit in Johannesburg to approach this matter with care and clarity. We urge you not to lend credibility to a narrative that misrepresents the situation in South Africa, and to help set the record straight in your public communication. We also ask you to reaffirm the importance of multilateralism by ensuring that South Africa’s participation in the G20 is not weakened by misinformation or political pressure, and that the forum remains guided by shared principles, established protocol, and good-faith engagement.

Let us repeat without equivocation: Afrikaners are not a persecuted group. South Africa faces profound challenges – crime, corruption, inequality, poverty, and the enduring legacy of apartheid – but these realities cut across communities and ethnic lines.

Like most white Americans, we are the descendants of European settlers of more than three centuries ago, but we have, as the name of our language and our ethnic group indicate, become fully African. Our roots, our lives, and our future are here, alongside all South Africans.

To single out Afrikaners as uniquely victimised is inaccurate and harmful, and it implies that whiteness itself is grounds for special status.

Claims about “confiscation” are equally misleading: not a square inch of white-owned land has been confiscated since 1994. South Africa’s Constitution does not permit arbitrary deprivation of property, and any expropriation is subject to lawful process and constitutional safeguards.

President Trump’s approach also distorts the very purpose of refugee protection: it should be guided by real persecution and genuine vulnerability, not race or political expediency. Branding Afrikaners as “persecuted” turns us into a propaganda symbol and pours fuel on division, at home and abroad.

We also call for African solidarity: for governments and institutions across the continent to stand together against the political exploitation and weaponisation of identity, and against pressure that seeks to weaken democracy and erode domestic cooperation within South Africa.

We are not pawns in an American culture war. Not in our name.

Afrikaners vir SA