The first group of 49 white South Africans granted refugee status under a program initiated by US President Donald Trump boarded a plane from Johannesburg’s main international airport, bound for Texas via Washington D.C.
The passengers, who underwent vetting for potential criminal issues, were part of a charter flight that took off on Sunday.
Trump’s offer of asylum to white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners, has sparked debate in both countries, with South African authorities expressing alarm and ridicule, saying the Trump administration misunderstands domestic issues.
Despite retaining most of the wealth amassed under colonialism and apartheid, white South Africans are claiming refugee status, citing unjust racial discrimination.
The move coincides with heightened racial tensions over land and jobs in South Africa, where whites own three-quarters of private land and about 20 times the wealth of the Black majority.
