Eff Asks Ramaphosa If He Will Offer Refuge To 'discriminated' African American Farmers

The Economic Freedom Fighters EFF has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa whether he intends to offer refuge to African American farmers in South Africa.

EFF Member of Parliament Thapelo Mogale posed the written question in March.

He cited US President Donald Trumps recent offer of refugee status to Afrikaner farmers escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation.

Mogale also claimed African American farmers have been subjected to years of discriminatory practices in the US, such as loss of land and lack of government support in terms of funding due to racist lending practices.

However, Ramaphosa was non-committal in his response. He referred to the Refugees Act of 1998 , which he said is the primary legal instrument governing the status and rights of refugees and asylum seekers.

This Act provides a clear definition of a refugee and establishes the criteria for granting asylum, emphasising the need to protect individuals fleeing persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group, he added.

Trump announced his Afrikaner resettlement policy in an executive order he signed in February. He cited the Expropriation Act, which Ramaphosa signed into law in January.

The Act outlines how the government may expropriate land in the public interest for various reasons - and without compensation in specified circumstances.

South Africa criticised Trumps order, saying it lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognise South Africa's profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid.

Following Trumps offer, around 67,000 Afrikaners expressed interest in resettling in the US, according to the South African Chamber of Commerce in the USA SACCUSA.