“Why Didn’t They Choose Orania?”: Afrikaner Refugees Become Hot Topic on US Show, SA Debates
- A group of 49 white South Africans who fled to the US, claiming genocide, are reportedly living in distressing conditions
- An investigation revealed the refugees are struggling to make ends meet, living in mouldy apartments and unsafe motels despite being prioritised for admission
- Social media users flooded the comments to question the group's intentions, with many claiming the struggle is karma for misrepresenting the situation in Mzansi
Source: Twitter
The dream of a better life in America has turned into a nightmare for a group of 49 Afrikaners who claimed they were facing genocide in South Africa.
The video was shared on TikTok by @news_spectrum on February 13 2026, where it garnered massive views, likes, and comments from an online community that was quick to point out the irony of their situation.
In a recent CBS interview, investigative reporter Madeleine Rowley spoke about 10 refugees she interviewed who are now barely surviving due to failure in the US resettlement system. While the group was pictured smiling and waving American flags in May 2025, they are now stuck in mouldy apartments in expensive areas. Each refugee receives a $2,000 (roughly R36,000) stipend, but because they were placed in high-cost cities, the entire amount is swallowed by rent.
The American dream turns sour
In TikTok user @news_spectrum's clip, the journalist highlighted that these families are often left with nothing for food or transportation, and many lack basic winter clothing like coats, despite being placed in freezing cities like Detroit. Resettlement agencies, which are paid hundreds of millions of dollars to provide safe housing, have reportedly been unreachable, leaving neighbours to step in and help the stranded families.
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Watch the TikTok video below:
SA discusses the refugees' living conditions
The clip went viral, gaining 2.8M views and over 11K comments from social media users who debated the refugees’ situation. Many South Africans noted that every race is affected by the country's crime rate and suggested the group was now facing karma for lying to gain entry to the US. Some pointed out that the R36,000 they receive monthly would actually be a decent salary back home compared to the struggle of living on the breadline in America. One American viewer clarified that the refugee program is intended for emergency safety, not for maintaining a middle-class lifestyle.
Source: Getty Images
User @XOXOW73 said:
"Die gras is nie altyd groener aan die anderkant nie (the grass isn't always greeener on the other side)🤔."
User @BoogyMan commented:
"So they get almost R30 000 ($2k) per month from the USA government? Wow, the cost of living in the USA must be really expensive 😳. In RSA, that's a good salary for a working person 😳."
User @QUENODAH shared:
"I wonder why they didn't choose Orania😏👀?"
User @JD78🇨🇦🇺🇸 added:
"As an American, what did they expect? We don’t have a good social safety system here. This program isn’t for a middle-class life. It is to provide truly struggling refugees from dangerous circumstances in their home countries."
User @Luluda1st joked:
"They must be missing our traditional boerewors and chakalaka😂."
User @Summer said:
"When you are accustomed to privilege, equality can feel like oppression. 🥰😂."
3 Briefly News articles about Afrikaaner refugees
- A South African woman living in America advised the 49 Afrikaner refugees to slow down when speaking to locals, saying their thick Afrikaans accent might make it difficult for others to understand them.
- An American man warned Afrikaner refugees moving to America, saying that if they were not rich, they would join the minimum wage working class.
- A South African man at the centre of a viral refugee video shared a detailed response after being called out by a family member for not being Afrikaans or a farmer.
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Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
