Ulrich Janse van Vuuren is dedicated to sharing and highlighting some of South Africa’s finest attributes with his large following on social media.

The frequently photographed 38-year-old white South African person regularly captures images of moments like chilly mornings in Johannesburg, the well-known lilac Jacaranda trees of Pretoria, or the bustling seaside areas of Cape Town.

“I’m deeply committed to promoting South Africa—it’s not something I plan to abandon since South Africa is where I call home,” declares this proud Afrikaner to The Big One News, following the recent departure of a handful of his co-nationals who chose to seek asylum in the U.S., leaving behind their homeland.

The U.S. President, along with his South African-born associate Elon Musk, claims that white Afrikaners face persecution in their homeland and are experiencing what he describes as a “genocide.”

This assertion has been spreading for numerous years despite this

has been widely discredited

.

Even though certain white farmers have faced attacks and fatalities, South Africa boasts one of the globe’s highest homicide rates; thus, this problem impacts all of its residents, irrespective of their ethnic background.

“To me, South Africa represents my homeland. It’s a country tied to my origins and cultural background, allowing me to play a part in shaping our national narrative and making a significant difference,” stated Mr. Janse van Vuuren, who boasts over a million followers online.

“I’m deeply invested in South Africa’s success and I am proud to be part of its journey.”

And while he wished those who have taken up Trump’s offer all the best in the US and urged them to “not look back”, he insisted that none of them were refugees, but rather “opportunists”.

“They’ve enjoyed more than their share of South Africa’s resources and privileges, and none are fleeing racial persecution,” he said.

Thirty years after the end of the racist system of apartheid, average living standards among South Africa’s white community remain far higher than for the black majority.

Mr Janse van Vuuren said that the debate about the status of Afrikaners in South Africa had only served to make him “more determined than ever to step up and contribute to South Africa in every way I can”.

Four centuries after the first group of Dutch settlers arrived in what is now South Africa, most Afrikaners regard themselves as fully African – as seen in the name – and no longer identify with their European roots.

But many are unhappy both with the high crime rate and the government’s policies aimed at reducing economic inequality in the country – especially a

law passed earlier this year

that allowed the government to seize land without compensation “when it is just and equitable and in the public interest”. White South Africans are 7% of the country’s population, but own half of its farmland.

Certain Afrikaners work as farmers and view the legislation as targeting them specifically.

Trump said the legislation prompted him to offer to help resettle “Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination”.

The position of white South African farmers has frequently served as a call to action for those on the right and far-right ends of American politics.

However, contrary to many previous assertions about the deliberate targeting of South Africa’s white Afrikaner minority, domestic crime statistics present a contrasting image.

South Africa doesn’t publish crime statistics categorized by race, but recent data showed that from October to December 2024, 6,953 murders occurred nationwide. Among those cases, 12 involved victims of farm attacks. Out of these 12 fatalities, one victim was identified as a farmer, five were farm dwellers, and four were workers—likely individuals of African descent.

On Monday, the

first group of 59 Afrikaners granted refugee status arrived at the Dulles airport near Washington DC

following their decision to depart from their homeland.

The arrival of the group sparked distress and anger throughout South Africa, as both the nation’s civil organizations and leaders aimed to refute the assertions that the white minority was facing persecution.

” They are departing as they refuse to adapt to the transformations occurring within our nation and our constitution,” stated South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

He later

labelled their move a “cowardly act”

as he addressed farmers at a convention held in the Free State province.

The president’s sentiments were echoed by many South Africans, including Mr Janse van Vuuren, who is proud of his Afrikaner origins.

While he was not raised in a farming family, he has relatives and friends in agriculture who have been victims of crime.

He said that while it was undeniable that some farmers faced “genuine threats and hardships”, it was important to be cautious “when discussing claims of persecution or discrimination that portray an entire group as victims of targeted violence or systemic oppression”.

While many white South Africans echo Mr Janse van Vuuren’s sentiments, there are also those who see themselves as a persecuted minority.

Among them is Ilse Steenkamp, who along with her family, has applied for the programme but has not received feedback. She did not want us to use her real name.

Ms Steenkamp, 47, and her husband, both Afrikaners, were commercial farmers but said they had lost their land recently after it was invaded by people who “took over the whole farm” just as they were about to sell it in order to “downscale”.

She mentioned that they had purchased the property about twenty years earlier, following the conclusion of apartheid.

She mentioned that those who invaded demolished essential infrastructure, thereby preventing any sales from taking place.

Even though attempts were made to remove them from the property via legal proceedings, Ms. Steenkamp stated that they had to leave the land because it was reclaimed by the bank.

Mrs. Steenkamp stated that although she and her family were aware of South Africa’s elevated crime rates and frequently attempted to “not let it affect them,” this recent incident proved to be “the final straw.”

Even though her family were eager to embrace Trump’s offer when it was first announced, the mother-of-three told the Big One Newsthat the decision to leave “was very difficult because you’re… leaving a whole way of life”.

Asked whether it was unfair that Afrikaners were being granted refugee status at a time when the US was cracking down on refugees and asylum seekers from everywhere else in the world, Ms Steenkamp said she “completely disagreed”.

She pointed to assaults on farmers, saying there was a “hatred that seems to go with these attacks”.

“Any farmer that has gone through that [kind of] attack and is now wanting to flee, I think should be treated as a refugee because they are fleeing from a government that will not even admit that these things are happening,” she said.

Sam Busà, 60, is another white South African who has applied for the refugee programme.

She is the founder of Amerikaners, a platform aimed at providing information to white South Africans interested in the US resettlement offer.

While Ms Busà, who is of English, not Afrikaner, descent, and her three sons have submitted their applications, they have not been interviewed yet.

While it was initially believed that the executive order, vague in its original wording, only applied to white Afrikaners, Ms Busà said it “clearly is targeting white South Africans”.

On Monday, the US embassy in South Africa released a statement clarifying the criteria for those applying for resettlement, which said applicants need to be:

  • Of South African nationality
  • Afrikaner or from a racial minority
  • Capable of referencing a previous instance of persecution or expressing concern about potential persecution in the future.

In response to the critique that they weren’t legitimate asylum seekers, Ms. Busà stated, “Even when you’re not in an active combat zone, stripping away your aspirations for what’s ahead can be incredibly traumatic. When someone takes away your hopes and dreams for the future, it constitutes significant psychological distress and emotional torment.”

However, Dr. Piet Croucamp, an associate professor of political studies at South Africa’s North West University, dissented from this opinion. He concurred with the perspective that individuals accepting this offer do not qualify as refugees since “South Africa does not persecute people.”

Instead, he suggested that individuals who have experienced being victims of crimes might describe their sense of security as compromised.

Dr. Croucamp, who identifies as an Afrikaner, stated that although he didn’t anticipate many white South Africans joining them, there will inevitably be “opportunistic” individuals capitalizing on the circumstances.

“This represents just a small number of individuals departing; however, the overwhelming majority of Afrikaners do not intend to leave and have made their stance clear. This includes right-leaning groups like AfriForum and Solidarity, who have stated that they remain committed to staying put. Therefore, among Afrikaners, only a limited few are choosing to go,” he explained.

Even though they criticize the government and its racially driven policies, leading Afrikaner advocacy organizations, AfriForum and Solidarity Movement, have confirmed their commitment to stay in South Africa.

AfriForum said that while the government was to blame for the departure of the group granted refugee status, they would stay and continue their “efforts to help create a future for Afrikaners here at the southern tip of Africa”.

This is a view with which Mr Janse van Vuuren agreed.

“While some may choose to leave as refugees, the majority of us are here to stay, working together to build a better future for all in South Africa.”

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