Ex-MultiChoice Worker Accepted the US Refugee Program After Struggling To Secure a Job in SA
- A former MultiChoice and EOH middle-management employee in his early 50s was accepted into the US refugee programme for South African ethnic minorities
- The man told a local publication that he spent three years unemployed after his retrenchment, coming close to homelessness and relying on a neighbour's help
- He applied in February 2026 and received his plane tickets to the United States within seven months
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Source: UGC
A former South African corporate employee has left the country for the United States after being accepted into a refugee resettlement programme designed for South African ethnic minorities. The man, who worked in middle management at both MultiChoice and EOH, spoke anonymously to MyBroadband about the difficult road that led him there.
Now in his early 50s, he described three years of unbroken unemployment after being retrenched. During that time, he came within reach of losing his home entirely and had to accept help from a neighbour just to get by. He said it took a great deal of humility to reach the point of applying for refugee status, but that the alternative was running out of options in South Africa.
Three years with no work
He attributed his prolonged struggle to find employment to South Africa's current socio-political climate and employment equity legislation. Despite his years of corporate experience, he said opportunities in his field did not materialise.
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With little left to lose, he submitted his application to the US refugee programme in February 2026. The process involved background checks and cultural orientation sessions before final approval was granted. Within seven months of applying, he had his plane tickets in hand and was preparing to start a new life abroad.
A new chapter in the US
The man's story is a striking example of the personal toll that long-term unemployment can take. He did not frame his decision as a political statement, but rather as a matter of survival after exhausting every other avenue available to him.
His case also puts a human face on the US refugee programme for South African minorities, which has drawn significant attention since its introduction. For this former corporate professional, the scheme offered something that years of job-searching in South Africa had not: a way forward.
Source: UGC
South Africa's jobless rate reaches four-year high
South Africa's official unemployment rate rose to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026—up from 32.7% in Q1—marking the highest level of joblessness in the country since mid-2022, data from Trading Economics revealed. The number of unemployed individuals climbed by 344,000 to reach 8.48 million, while overall employment dipped to 16.74 million, pushing broader labour underutilisation to 46.3% as structural economic challenges continue to limit job creation across key sectors.
3 Briefly News articles about Afrikaner refugees
- America's Chris Wyatt warned Afrikaners misusing the US refugee programme that returning home automatically voids their protection and results in deportation, calling the opportunity a non-negotiable "one-way golden ticket".
- Social activist Bianca questioned the logic of an Afrikaner refugee family returning home for medical treatment shortly after being granted asylum in the United States, pointing out that travelling back contradicts their claim of persecution.
- Afrikaners entering the US under a targeted resettlement programme could soon receive up to R72,000 each after the Trump administration proposed nearly doubling initial federal aid for incoming refugees.
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Source: Briefly News
