JOHANNESBURG, July 31 — South Africa’s Cabinet has reiterated its commitment to welcoming back Afrikaners who were denied U.S. refugee visas after applying under a refugee resettlement program announced by the U.S. administration.
At a post-Cabinet media briefing held Thursday in Pretoria, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the Cabinet has taken note of media reports that some applicants had been refused visas after applying for the program.
“South Africans returning home will always be welcomed. There is no place like home,” she said.
Ntshavheni said the Cabinet has reiterated that all South Africans, regardless of their political views, would always have a home in the country, free from political persecution or suppression, in accordance with the country’s laws.
She said that efforts to address South Africa’s socio-economic challenges are ongoing, with concerted efforts by government, political parties, business, labor unions, civil society and the public.
In May, the U.S. government announced an expansion of its refugee admissions program for Afrikaners, increasing admissions by 10,000 over allegations of “white genocide” in South Africa, claims the South African government has rejected.
Afrikaners are a white ethnic group in South Africa, mainly descended from Dutch, French and German settlers who arrived at the Cape from the 17th century onward. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
