The South African (SA) Government has criticised a recent Presidential Determination by the United States (US) that includes a programme facilitating the resettlement of white South Africans as refugees. The SA government called it “factually inaccurate” and dismissed the initiative’s basis as “fundamentally flawed.” In a statement issued on Friday, Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) Spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said the US programme appeared to rely on the discredited notion of a so-called “white genocide” in SA, which he described as “unsupported by reliable evidence.” “The claim of a ‘white genocide’ in SA is widely discredited,” Phiri said. “This is further evidenced by the courageous and patriotic open letter from prominent members of the Afrikaner community themselves, who have publicly rejected this very narrative.” Phiri said the low number of South Africans who have taken up the offer to resettle in the US was proof that the programme’s assumptions were baseless. “The limited uptake of this offer by South Africans is a telling indicator of this reality,” he added. Phiri reaffirmed that the SA Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to emigrate legally, but cautioned against conflating voluntary migration with refugee asylum. “We must draw a critical distinction between voluntary migration and refugee asylum,” Phiri said. “Conflating the two is a serious mischaracterisation that carries significant legal consequences for individuals and undermines international protection systems.” Despite its criticism of the programme, Phiri emphasised that SA remains committed to maintaining strong diplomatic ties with Washington. “SA values its strategic partnership with the US and remains committed to collaborating on issues of mutual concern through dialogue and a shared respect for international law and national sovereignty,” he said. –ChannelAfrica–