Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order formalising a freeze on aid to South Africa amid concerns for the safety of white land owners.
Along with the order came Trump’s announcement of pathways to resettle white South Africans and their families in the United States
The move was triggered by a new law that permits the governing African National Congress (ANC) to claim privately owned land, which places white land owners and farmers at greatest risk.
It’s a continuation of land reclamation policies in favour of blacks by African governments since the end of colonisation and beginning of independence.
Harry Richardson, president of the British Australian Community, says Australia should consider emulating the U.S. effort.
“Not only should white South Africans be given preferential treatment as immigrants, but a channel of humanitarian intakes should be established,” he told The Epoch Times.
“The torture and murder of white farmers continues apace. And the discrimination against whites in public employment and in private business is a sad result of the African National Congress’s descent into state-sponsored racism.”
In 2018, then-Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, now the opposition leader, investigated fast-tracking visa applications for white farmers in response to an earlier effort by the Ramaphosa government to reclaim land.
White South Africans, historically of British descent, were also allegedly subjected to violence and torture from gangs.
Richardson said there was a “self-interest” for governments to consider taking refugees from South Africa.
“This demographic is especially worthy for settlement in Australia because, as a people, they have a history of productive work and also assimilate rapidly to the Australian national identity.
“This would be a refreshing example of non-multicultural immigration, a welcome counter to the dangerous rise in ethno-religious diversity imposed on Australia by successive governments,” he said.
Already a Major Part of Australia
Due to the shared British origins and culture, Australia has become home to over 200,000 South African expatriates, the second highest in the world after the UK, with the United States coming third.Many notable Australians have South African lineage including Gail Kelly (former CEO of Westpac), Brad Banducci (former CEO of Woolworths), Bryce Courtenay (author), Adrian Paterson (nuclear scientist), and a host of athletes like Marnus Labuschagne (current cricketer) and Morne Morkel (cricketer), who relocated to Australia upon retirement.
“Traditionally it has been Jewish South Africans and Anglo South Africans who have dominated the flow of migrants to Australia. Dutch Afrikaners have traditionally resisted migrating because leaving South Africa meant abandoning their use of the Afrikaan language,” said Eric Louw, an academic and former ANC member, in an interview with The Epoch Times.
“However, Afrikaners started joining their Anglo cousins in migrating to Australia about six years ago and there has been a noticeable increase in Afrikaners migrating to Australia (as well as New Zealand, Canada, and England) over the past three years as the situation in South Africa has deteriorated.”
2 Decades of Mismanagement
The ANC came to power under President Nelson Mandela, in coalition with the South African Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions.Upon attaining power, the government implement the policy of “cadre deployment,” learned and adopted from communist states in Eastern Europe.
This meant only party members could be deployed into head positions at major institutions like airlines, utilities, hospitals, public transport, and energy firms.
However, because of the emphasis on party membership (and race) over merit, two decades of the practice since the end of Apartheid, has led to the gradual degradation of once well-run and efficient institutions.
One example is the severe mismanagement of sewerage networks, which has led to raw wastewater being poured directly into rivers and dams, poisoning water supplies.
Another issue is regular “load shedding” by power company Eskom due to it inability to supply electricity.
The government has also taken measures to force Dutch Afrikaners to switch to using English in schools
South African Government Under Intense Pressure: Louw
Louw says everyday people will be the most likely to suffer negative consequences from Trump’s aid freeze—but he said fingers were already being pointed at South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.“In South Africa, American aid has been used to keep the government’s health system running. Hospital services are already in a bad way, so this won’t help,” Louw said.
The University of Queensland academic also said the U.S. president’s actions have already sent “shockwaves” through the economy with the value of the rand, government bonds, and stock prices falling.
“The ANC already fails to deliver promised services,” Louw says.
“One can only assume service delivery failure will become even worse which means the pain increases for ordinary people.”
He said there was also fear of 1980s style Apartheid-era financial sanctions being reapplied on South Africa.
“If Trump imposes the economic penalties upon South Africa of the sort he has spoken of then he will inflict pain upon ANC-ruled South Africa. I can see how this will hurt the ANC at the next elections.”
