Ronald Lamola Rejects Claims White Afrikaners Are Persecuted, Says Crime Affects Everyone Equally

• Ronald Lamola weighed in on the departure of 49 Afrikaners to the United States of America as refugees
• The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation rejected claims that white Afrikaners were being persecuted
• Lamola told the media at a G20 briefing that crime affected everyone equally, regardless of race and gender

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG - Ronald Lamola has once again refuted claims that white South Africans were being persecuted in the country.

The Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) denied that the 49 Afrikaners who left South Africa did so because they were being persecuted.

The 49 departed the country for the United States of America as part of the first batch of refugees welcomed as part of Donald Trump’s executive order.

Lamola says there’s no evidence to support persecution allegations

During a G20 media briefing in Pretoria on 12 May 2025, Lamola weighed in on Trump’s concerns that Afrikaners were being persecuted in the country, saying that it was unfounded. The President of the US claimed that terrible things were happening in the country and that a section of the population was being treated unfairly.

The minister emphasised that crime affected everyone equally in the country, regardless of race or gender.

“This has been proven by numerous statistics, including police reports, which do not support the claim of persecution against white South Africans,” he said.

“Crime in our country is a shared burden. It affects everyone,” Lamola added.

Lamola weighs in on white farmers

The minister also touched on claims made about the number of farm murders in the country.

He added that while white farmers experienced crime, they were not uniquely targeted.

“White farmers are affected by crime like any other South Africans. This claim of persecution is simply not factual,” he stated.

You can watch his statement below.

What you need to know about Afrikaners moving to the USA

• Donald Trump signed an executive order in February 2025 to classify Afrikaner farmers as refugees.
• AfriForum stated that Afrikaners would not be leaving the country despite Trump’s offer.
• The SA Chamber of Commerce in the US (SACCUSA) server crashed due to the number of people applying for refugee status.
• In March 2025, the US Embassy provided an update on resettlement plans for Afrikaners.
• The SA Chamber of Commerce in the US announced that it received over 67,000 applications from Afrikaners for refugee status.
• The USA was preparing to welcome the first batch of Afrikaner refugees as part of Trump's order

49 Afrikaners travel to the USA

Briefly News reported that the first group of Afrikaners who took up Trump's offer left the country on 11 May 2025.

The group left the country following claims of white genocide and forced land expropriations.

The government said it respected their freedom of movement, and South Africans shared their views.

Source: Briefly News