Victimisation

The African National Congress registers its firm rejection of the United States government's decision to grant refugee status to 49 individuals self-identifying as Afrikaners. Let it be categorically stated: there are no Afrikaner refugees in South Africa. No section of our society is hounded, persecuted or subject to ethnic victimisation. These claims are a fabrication and a cowardly political construct designed to delegitimise our democracy and insult the sacrifices made by generations who fought for freedom. This year, as we commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Freedom Charter, we recall its enduring truth that "South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white." This is further enshrined in our Constitution, which affirms equality, dignity and non-racialism as the bedrock of our national life. What the instigators of this falsehood seek is not safety, but impunity from transformation. They flee not from persecution, but from justice, equality and accountability for historic privilege. The misuse of refugee protections to shield right-wing, anti-transformation elements is a violation of the spirit and letter of international law. Millions around the world face real persecution and they are the ones deserving of sanctuary, not those offended by a democratic society working to redress past injustice.