Kenyan Staff to Fast Track Afrikaner Refugee Cases Spark US SA Tensions

Kenyan workers, Afrikaner ‘refugees’, and a US request Pretoria can’t ignore

A quiet visa application lodged on 29 July could deepen an already strained relationship between Pretoria and Washington. The US State Department has asked South Africa to fast-track visas for about 30 Kenya-based staff members, who would work here for two years to help process the controversial Afrikaner refugee resettlement programme.

South Africa’s Cabinet hasn’t formally tabled the matter, but insiders say it was discussed verbally — and the mood wasn’t warm. As Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said earlier this year: “Our position is that there are no South African citizens who can be classified as refugees to any part of the world.”

Why Kenya is in the mix

The US recently shifted all support for the Afrikaner refugee programme to RSC Africa, a Nairobi-based operation run by Church World Service (CWS). With over two decades of refugee processing experience, CWS typically works alongside the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) — but not this time.

The IOM refused to be involved, as did the Episcopal Church’s migration service in the US. Even CWS admitted its disappointment that Afrikaners were being prioritised over other at-risk refugee groups, but agreed to take the job regardless.

On social media, the “Amerikaners” X account has been assuring applicants that Kenyan contacts are legitimate, reflecting a small but vocal online community following the process closely.

The visa question

Here’s where it gets complicated: immigration experts say these Nairobi-based staffers don’t qualify for South African work visas, and a diplomatic visa would likely fail under international law. The applicants have instead applied for volunteer visas — which, by definition, forbid paid work.

That’s a problem. Job ads from CWS show positions for the South Africa Resettlement Unit with salaries over R37,000 per month, making the “volunteer” angle hard to sell. Approving the visas could require Pretoria to bend its own rules, something officials have little appetite for.

A bad time for a delicate ask

The US request comes on the heels of a damning State Department report alleging human rights abuses in South Africa during 2024 — a report Pretoria says is riddled with exaggerations. Add to that the sight of South Africa’s military chief in Tehran praising “common goals” with Iran, plus US-imposed export tariffs, and the mood is already tense.

This refugee processing saga may involve only a few dozen people, but it’s become symbolic of larger diplomatic friction. For Washington, it’s about executing a Trump-era project. For Pretoria, it’s a reminder of a programme it sees as politically loaded — and, frankly, a diplomatic headache.

Source:Daily Maverick 

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