"Opportunist": Afrikaner Refugee Claims Spark Backlash as He Denies False Farmer Story, SA Reacts

• A local entrepreneur has responded to those who have questioned his choice to travel to the United States as an "Afrikaner refugee"
• Many South Africans, including his stepdaughter, question his claims of being a "farmer" and an "Afrikaner" and label him "opportunistic"
• The South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, responded to the Afrikaner refugees' claims of "racial discrimination"

An alleged Afrikaner refugee has come under fire after it was revealed that their claims of being a persecuted farmer were false.

Afrikaner refugee reacts to farming backlash

In a development that has stirred both national and international attention, a group of 49 Afrikaners sought asylum in the United States of America, citing political and safety concerns. According to President Donald Trump, the Afrikaner minority's refugee applications were processed more quickly because they were the targets of alleged "racial discrimination."

A South African businessman, Errol Langton, has responded to those who have questioned his choice to travel to the United States as an "Afrikaner refugee." This comes after many people in Mzansi, including his stepdaughter, question his claims of being a "farmer" and an "Afrikaner," and many label him "opportunistic" for restarting in the US.

Errol and eight of his family members arrived in the US on Monday, 12 May 2025, and plan to settle in Alabama, where his brother settled years ago.

Errol Langton told the New York Times that he was a "farmer" from the coastal town of Hibberdene in KwaZulu-Natal. He reportedly produced sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, mustard, and spinach there.

Errol, however, has decided to accept a "job" in information technology in the field in which he formerly worked and controlled a sizable company in South Africa. Errol's choice to depart South Africa was also questioned by Geneve Gouws, his stepdaughter.

In a TikTok post this week, she stated:

“I’m completely shocked. What do they need protection from exactly? They’re not even Afrikaners.”

The young lady continued by saying that Errol "lied" when he applied to be a "refugee."

In addition, she thought that his allegations of being a "victim of crime" stemmed from instances of domestic violence involving her mother, whom he has since divorced.

"What lie do you have to tell to get to America?" She went on to say.

Errol Langton has denied being labelled as traitors and sellouts, stating that "haters are going to hate." He claims to be of Afrikaner descent and has owned or leased a farm for over three years. Langton argues that despite speaking English and being two generations away from being actively Afrikaans, he is a South African Afrikaner.

“I am of Afrikaner descent. My family made a decision a long time ago not to speak Afrikaans and switched to English," Errol said.

While his LinkedIn account lists him as the owner of an IT business, Langton also claims that he was indeed a farmer.

His claims have led many people to label him an "opportunist" on social media. The South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, responded to the Afrikaner refugees' claims of "racial discrimination."

"There is no persecution of those who have escaped. They're not being harassed, they're not being mistreated, and they're going supposedly because they don't want to accept the constitutionally mandated changes occurring in our nation," Ramaphosa stated during a panel discussion in Ivory Coast on Monday.

More Afrikaner refugee stories

• Briefly News reported that 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.
• 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.

Updated by Hilary Sekgota, Human Interest HOD at Briefly News.

Source: Briefly News