"Left My 5-Bedroom House": Afrikaner Refugee from Group of 49 Breaks Silence on Leaving SA

• One of the individuals from the 49 Afrikaner refugees spoke out in an interview after arriving in the United States of America
• The guy revealed everything he left behind and described his experience living in South Africa
• Comments poured in from online users who reacted with mixed feelings as they expressed their thoughts

An Afrikaner refugee who was among a group of 49 South Africans who fled the country has spoken out for the first time in a revealing interview, which raised eyebrows online.

Afrikaner refugee of 49 speaks out for the 1st time

It has also been reported that the 49 Afrikaners, currently in the US, claim they were victims of racial discrimination, land insecurity, and state neglect. However, the South African government has said the group was not subjected to any kind of persecution that would qualify them as refugees.

Their asylum bid has ignited a fierce debate across Mzansi, with some supporting their decision and others accusing them of inflaming racial tensions.

During a tell-all interview with BBC News, one of the Afrikaner refugees, Charl Kleinhaus, broke his silence and shared his story, including everything he had to leave behind, in a video shared on TikTok by BBC News.

"I had to leave a five-bedroom house, my car behind, my dogs behind, my mother behind," said Charl.

When questioned about the government denying their claims and other Afrikaners who stayed in South Africa calling them "cowards," Kleinhaus defended his refugee status by saying:

"I had to leave my five-bedroom house, which I will lose now, because I am not gonna pay for it...I did not come here for fun, but my children are safe. If you are white in South Africa, you are wrong in South Africa, you are land theft, you are racist, I had nothing to do with apartheid, nothing, nothing, nothing."

The Afrikaner refugee also shared what it was like being greeted by the Trump administration and Christopher Landau, the US deputy secretary of state, at Washington's Dulles International Airport on Monday, 12 May 2025.

"It was overwhelming, I didn't expect that because I thought we gonna be in a shuttle bus taken somewhere and we must start working. All of us that there we know we're gonna start from the bottom because we are the new people here. We're gonna start from the bottom, bottom, bottom," he added.

The interview has sparked debate online, with many South Africans expressing mixed reactions. Some sympathised with his situation, while others questioned the legitimacy of their refugee claims.

Watch the video below:

SA chimes in on the Afrikaner refugees’ claims

South Africans were not impressed by the Afrikaners’ claims and headed to the comments section to share their thoughts.

Benso said:

"South Africa is so unsafe, yet he left his mother there?"

BrokeMom2RichMom added:

"Wow, your five-bedroom house. The majority of the country can barely afford rent for a 2-bedroom apartment. Can barely afford food or to keep the lights on. The majority of the country doesn’t get help from anyone."

Lement cracked a joke, saying:

"Bro just ran away from his mortgage."

Hristina wrote:

"He isn’t a refugee, he had shelter, clothes, and food. Meanwhile, there are kids in Gaza eating mouldy food."

MsLee replied:

"The fact that this man owns a 5-bedroom house in South Africa, which in reality not even the average person can afford, says a lot, but hey, his so unsafe and unhappy he left his mother behind, of all people, the woman that have life to him he leaves behind."

Amberae Ofsun commented:

"He had to leave his 5-bedroom house, a car, pets and his mother? Sounds like he was suffering."

More stories about Afrikaner refugees

• Briefly News reported that an active-duty army officer has broken ranks with official silence to share his thoughts on the group of 49 Afrikaners who recently sought asylum in the United States, claiming political persecution in South Africa.
• Newly released visuals of the group of 49 Afrikaner refugees who reportedly fled South Africa and settled in the United States have reignited online debate, with many Mzansi social media users weighing in on the controversial migration.
• A man recorded a TikTok video about scandalous information regarding one of the 49 Afrikaner refugees. In the video, he shared the details that he found out about one of the people who was exposed after landing in America.

Source: Briefly News