Calls to revoke citizenship amid Trump’s controversial offer to Afrikaners
Despite the EFF calling on the president to revoke the citizenship of any Afrikaner who accepts Trump’s offer for refuge, organisations and political counterparts beg to differ.
The EFF on Monday said it observed the frantic and irrational actions by Trump who halted foreign aid and assistance to South Africa and provided humanitarian relief in the form of resettlement for Afrikaners in the US through its Refugee Admissions Program.
In a statement the party explained why they believe citizenship should be revoked: “South Africa must revoke the citizenship of any individual who assumes refugee status in the USA on the basis of this Executive Order, as it would be a declaration of the belief that South Africa’s laws which seek to promote equality and social cohesion are not in sync with such individuals values.
“No one is being persecuted in South Africa, and to flee to the USA under this pretense should result in an immediate revoking of citizenship,” it said.
In the wake of rising tensions between South Africa and the Trump administration, the EFF also stated that they believed the real reason why the US cut aid, was not because of the land expropriation bill, but because South Africa openly “supported Palestinian people and condemned Isreal for its genocide.”
Amid these geopolitical tensions, the debate over revoking South African citizenship intensifies, with the South African Chamber of Commerce in the USA (SACCUSA) receiving over 10,000 relocation inquiries within 18 hours of Trump’s offer.
During a Parliamentary question and answer session, the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber explained that South Africa, as a constitutional democracy, does not persecute individuals based on their political views.
“The Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of conscience, belief, and political choice.
“The government emphasizes that political disputes should be resolved through elections, not by abusing executive power. In this context, the department warns against targeting opponents based on political differences, as this could backfire.”
Robert King from the Referendum Party, said they are happy with the manner in which the Minister of Home Affairs has already addressed the question of citizenship.
“It is clearly not in the best interests of the South African people to have aid withheld or withdrawn and we have great sympathy for the ordinary people who are affected.
“However, it is important to note that no country is entitled to aid.
“The South African Government has been deliberately and intentionally antagonistic towards the US and other Western nations. South Africa is now paying the price for the ill-considered foreign policies of successive ANC-led regimes.
“South Africa should end all race-based policies, and the Referendum Party is currently promoting its Non-Racialism Bill which will achieve this has, and revoke the appropriate sections of the Expropriation Act in order to properly protect property rights.”
Political analyst Nkosikhulule Nyembezi, also highlighted that the constitution provides that no citizen may be deprived of citizenship.
“I first heard the calls for the taking away of citizenship for the monumentally unlucky dissenting individuals, they seemed gestural and unlikely to stand.
“The question is not how likely some people could ever face loss of citizenship because of their dissenting political opinions. It is, what political purpose does it serve to turn citizenship into a question, not of unity but of hierarchy?
“It is more complex and intricate than sowing division and eroding solidarity; it generates emotional support for discrimination by making the condition of South Africans fragile where legitimacy is uncertain and loyalty to dominant political views must be continually demonstrated.”
Nyembezi said it doesn't matter how the feud between the two countries pan out, what matters is that at the moment the Trump Administration has infuriated South Africans.
“Though freezing aid will hurt South Africa’s historic gains in the fight against diseases, epidemics, and pandemics more, Americans will also feel the ill effects as long as we live in a globalised world. America is already suffering. Start with the shame of menacing and sliming its good human rights-championing allies with lies.
“Even if it is part of a twisted game of intimidation and coercion as he opts for strong-arm tactics and dispenses with other traditional tools of American foreign policy, the damage on goodwill and influence will be lasting as South Africa will join a growing list of countries deciding that the United States is an unreliable partner and look for replacements.
“Meanwhile, Made-in-Trump’s-USA is becoming a toxic label in international human rights circles.”
On the other hand, COSATU's Zanela Sabela warned that such drastic actions could have serious economic implications, especially for South Africa’s health sector.
“PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) has funded 17% of South Africa's HIV/AIDS programs, and cutting this aid would leave a devastating gap in the healthcare system, withdrawing this aid will have catastrophic consequences, particularly for the most vulnerable in society.
Brett Herron from the Good Party argued that citizens who support punitive international measures or engage in disinformation campaigns against the country should face consequences.
Herron has pointed fingers at Afriforum, Solidarity, and the DA, calling them out for fostering political instability and discrediting South Africa's international standing.
He suggests that while outright revocation of citizenship might not be feasible, individuals who undermine the country’s sovereignty should be investigated for violations under laws like the Terrorist and Related Activities Act.
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za