Kenyan nationals trapped in South Africa–US conflict over Afrikaner refugee programme

4 weeks ago 15

South Africa has barred seven Kenyan nationals from entering the country for five years following their involvement in operations at a U.S.-run facility for Afrikaner refugees.

Kenyan nationals trapped in South Africa–US conflict over Afrikaner refugee programme

South Africa has barred Kenyan nationals from entering for five years after arrests involving illegal work at a refugee application center.
The deportations occurred following intelligence reports that identified the individuals violating visa conditions while on tourist visas.
The arrests contribute to ongoing tensions between South Africa and the US over the Afrikaner refugee resettlement policy.
South Africa has consistently rejected the US rationale regarding alleged Afrikaner persecution.

The arrests mark the latest escalation in a long-standing diplomatic dispute between Pretoria and Washington over the controversial Afrikaner resettlement programme.

The Department of Home Affairs said the raid in Johannesburg followed intelligence reports that the Kenyans had recently entered South Africa on tourist visas but were found performing paid work at a centre handling applications for so-called “Afrikaner refugees.”

"The operation followed after intelligence reports indicated that a number of Kenyan nationals had recently entered South Africa on tourist visas and had illegally taken up work at a centre processing the applications of so-called “refugees” to the United States." the statement noted.

“Seven Kenyan nationals were discovered engaging in work despite only being in possession of tourist visas, in clear violation of their conditions of entry into the country,” said Carli van Wyk, spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs.

The deported individuals will also be barred from entering South Africa for five years, the department added. Authorities described the operation as part of routine measures to enforce immigration law and curb visa abuse.

Visa breaches raise diplomatic stakes

Pretoria has consistently rejected claims that Afrikaners face persecution, calling the US rationale “factually inaccurate and unsupported.”

According to the BBC, the processing of applications is handled by two entities: RSC Africa, a Kenyan-based centre operated by Church World Service, and Amerikaners, a South African platform providing information for potential resettlement.

RSC Africa is a Kenyan-based refugee support centre operated by Church World Service (CWS) while Amerikaners is a South African platform aimed at providing information to white South Africans interested in the US resettlement offer.

No US officials were arrested, and the operation was not conducted at a diplomatic site, but it has prompted formal diplomatic engagements with both the United States and Kenya.

For South Africa, this episode highlights the delicate balance between enforcing immigration law and navigating an increasingly tense bilateral relationship with Washington. With Kenya now drawn into the situation, the dispute risks further escalating over questions of sovereignty, refugee policy, and regional cooperation.

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