SA Chamber of Commerce Receives 67,000 US Refugee Applications, Majority Aged Between 25 and 45

• The SA Chamber of Commerce in the US (SACCUSA) has received over 67,000 applications for refugee status
• SACCUSA President Neil Diamond noted that the majority of the applicants were between 25 and 45 years old
• Diamond also explained that many of the applicants didn’t understand what being a refugee in another country meant

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent ten years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism

GAUTENG – Over 67,000 South Africans have expressed interest in taking up Donald Trump’s offer to relocate to the United States of America.

The President of the USA has on more than one occasion offered refugee status to South Africans, specifically Afrikaners.

Trump made the offer to Afrikaners, after claiming that terrible things were happening in the country and that land was being confiscated illegally.

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SA Chamber of Commerce receives 67,042 applications

Neil Diamond, President of the South African Chamber of Commerce in the US (SACCUSA), noted that 67,042 people, mainly Afrikaners, registered on the SACCUSA website.

Most of the people who expressed interest in the offer had Afrikaner or English names. Diamond also noted that the majority of the applicants were between the ages of 25 and 45. He added that they weren’t able to ascertain the professions of the applicants.

“We didn’t specifically collect information in terms of job category, so we don’t necessarily know whether they are all farmers from our rural communities or whether they are doctors or engineers. We don’t have that information,” he said.

Diamond revealed the details during an interview with Xoli Mngambi on Newzroom Afrika. You can watch the full interview below.

South Africans don’t understand what being a refugee means

Diamond also admitted that many who applied didn’t fully understand what it meant to be a refugee. He added that SACCUSA shared information on its website so that asylum seekers could educate themselves on what being a refugee means.

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What you need to know about Trump’s offer to South Africans

• AfriForum said Afrikaners are not going anywhere in response to Donald Trump’s executive order
• SA Chamber of Commerce in the USA receives over 10,000 enquiries about refugee offer
• Server crashes at the SA Chamber of Commerce in the US due to the number of emails received
• An expert has warned that resettlement to the USA for Afrikaners could take years
• Trump offers citizenship to SA farmers, again claims terrible things are happening in the country

US Embassy provides update on resettlement plans

Briefly News reported that the US Embassy in South Africa provided an update on resettlement plans for Afrikaners on 7 March 2025.

The President of the USA offered citizenship to farmers and their families if they felt unsafe in South Africa due to the terrible things that were happening.

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Social media users cautioned farmers against falling for Trump's offers, saying that the grass wasn't greener on the other side.

Source: Briefly News