There are differing accounts of what happened on Tuesday in Johannesburg at a place where US government officials were processing refugee applications from Afrikaners.
The South African government has denied American allegations that its personnel were “detained” in a raid on the facility and that people present were intimidated.
Activist claims spark public controversy
Afrikaner activist Devon Hofmeyr was among the first to speak out about the raid on his Facebook page.
“At 1.30pm on Tuesday, South African immigration officials and others raided the building where Afrikaners were being interviewed for refugee status in America,” he said.
“According to rumours, the American diplomats, as well as the Afrikaners, were intimidated to the point where they had to evacuate the Americans.”
Hofmeyr said SA should get rid of the foreign nationals who bully ordinary South Africans out of business and jobs, and not those who were employed by the US government.
Home Affairs rejects allegations of wrongdoing
However, department of home affairs spokesperson Carli van Wyk said no US officials were arrested in the process, the operation was not conducted at a diplomatic site, and no members of the public or refugees were harassed.
Van Wyk said law enforcement executed a routine, lawful operation in Johannesburg, targeted at suspected violations of South African immigration law.
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Arrests linked to alleged visa violations
“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,” she said.
“This was despite the fact that earlier visa applications for Kenyan nationals to perform this work had been lawfully declined by the department.”
During the operation, 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, Van Wyk said.
“They were arrested and issued with deportation orders, and will be prohibited from entering South Africa again for a five-year period,” she said.
“The operation was carried out according to the same procedures that have seen home affairs intensify deportations over the past 18 months, as the South African government diligently works to turn around the long-standing abuse of our immigration and visa system.
“The operation reinforces home affairs’ commitment to enforcing the rule of law without fear or favour, as no person or entity is above these laws,” Van Wyk said.
“It also showcases the commitment that South Africa shares with the United States to combating illegal immigration and visa abuse in all its forms.
“The department of international relations and cooperation has initiated formal diplomatic engagements with the US and Kenya to resolve this matter.”
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Political analyst Piet Croucamp said America shouldn’t intervene in SA’s domestic affairs. “It is something that South Africans should sort out ourselves”.
If Kenyans were working on tourist visas in SA, then they should be arrested, whether there was pushback from America or not, Croucamp said.
Diplomatic tensions and human rights concerns raised
AfriForum spokesperson Kallie Kriel said he confirmed with US officials that the South African authorities did indeed raid a US refugee facility in Johannesburg, detaining US staff who have been processing Afrikaner refugees.
“The applicants and others who were present on the premises were allegedly subjected to harassment and intimidation, despite they themselves not having transgressed any law,” he said.
“The manner in which this issue is being handled is not wise, given the current diplomatic tensions.”
Kriel said AfriForum condemns this behaviour by the South African authorities.
“This behaviour shows a disregard for the human rights of the applicants present,” he said.
“Such conduct is not unexpected from a government that still refuses to condemn human rights abuses by those calling for the killing of Afrikaners through the Kill the Boer chant.”
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