• By Stefanus Nashama and Jeremiah Ndjoze

Republican Party president Henk Mudge has described the recent decision by United States (US) President Donald Trump to grant refugee status to South African Afrikaners as a possible “warning shot” to the South African government to reform its governance and promote inclusivity.
Mudge said the move signals growing international concern over the treatment of Afrikaners and may prompt South Africa to act in the interest of all its citizens, regardless of race or historical background.
His comments come in the wake of a recent report confirming that the first group of 59 Afrikaners had arrived in the US after being granted refugee status under an executive order signed by Trump earlier this year. The order cited gross violations of the group’s rights, particularly in relation to land expropriation and farm-related violence.
Mudge noted that organisations such as AfriForum had visited the US multiple times to voice their concerns over farm attacks and the increasing marginalization of white South Africans under policies such as the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Affirmative Action.
“Obviously, that upset the white community tremendously. They feel like second-class citizens and believe they are being placed at a disadvantage, losing jobs to less qualified individuals and facing the risk of losing their farms without compensation,” he noted. 
He also made reference to the longstanding agricultural relationship between South Africa and the US, especially in the fruit export sector, suggesting it may have influenced Trump’s stance.

RACIAL AND ECONOMIC POLICIES
Mudge also drew parallel with Namibia, suggesting that while Namibia’s Constitution prevents land expropriation without fair compensation, there are still some racial and economic policies that are causing division.
“Policies like the BEE, Affirmative Action, and the National Equitable Economic Empowerment Framework (NEEEF) under our SWAPO government are hurting Namibia,” he said. 
Mudge has since urged Namibia to abandon similar race-based policies, which he said undermine national reconciliation.
Confidente made efforts to speak to some members of the Afrikaner community in Namibia regarding the recent developments, but they declined to comment.
“That whole issue is political, I do not comment on political issues,” one source replied.

LIVING IN PARADISE
Political analyst, Rui Tyitende told Confidente, this week, that since Namibia and South Africa share a history, the social as well as economic dynamics of Afrikaners in both countries are quite similar.  
However, according to Tyitende, the group of Afrikaners that migrated to the US opted to seek “refugee” status not due to persecution or land grabs but “outright racism”. 
“In fact, if there were systematic persecution, the owners of the South African economy [who are whites in general] have the means to arrange a mass exodus, but they did not. Why is that the case? More importantly, what is the economic status of these 59 people that left for the United States?” Tyitende queried. 
Turning his focus to Namibia, he maintained there is no way Afrikaners who would leave Namibia, as they are living in paradise and have created their own country within a country. 
“Why leave all for a country with one of the highest crime and murder rates in the world? Afrikaners are quite comfortable here as their economic and social privileges remain intact despite our so-called independence,” he said. 
Tyitende is of the opinion that Namibia has a black government which is politically in control of the country while a white minority dominates the economy. 
“The poorest Afrikaner in Namibia resides in Pioneers Park or Windhoek West, not Havana or the informal settlements where real poor blacks are surrounded by sewer and absolute squalor.”

BAFFLING MOVE
Meanwhile, on Monday this week, social media was ablaze with remarks by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, criticizing the Trump Administration’s decision to resettle the South Africans.
Shaheen said: “It is baffling as to why the Trump Administration is admitting Afrikaners for resettlement while continuing an indefinite suspension for thousands of legitimate asylum seekers who have fled persecution, often because their lives were at risk.”
“Last year, the UN found no South African was eligible for refugee status. The decision by this administration to put one group at the front of the line is clearly politically motivated and an effort to rewrite history,” Shaheen added. 
The Senator implored that the administration must clarify why these individuals qualify for refugee status and resettlement in the U.S. and why they have been prioritized over refugees like Afghans, Burmese Rohingya and Sudanese, who have fled their homes due to conflict and persecution. 
“I urge the administration to use this moment to lift its indefinite suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and restore this life-saving tool for the world’s most vulnerable refugees.”