Ramaphosa calls Afrikaans ‘refugee’ trek to US a ‘cowardly act’ at Nampo agricultural show

President Cyril Ramaphosa said the 59 Afrikaners who had flown to the US as “refugees” had committed a “cowardly act” and were clearly unhappy with efforts to redress the inequities of the apartheid past. 

“I think that it’s a sad moment for them. They may be feeling excited that they left the country, that they’ve got somebody like President (Donald) Trump,” Ramaphosa said at an impromptu press briefing at the annual Nampo harvest festival near the Free State town of Bothaville. 

Ramaphosa was pointedly flanked by officials of Grain SA, the umbrella group for South African grains farmers, including CEO Tobias Doyer. 

“But in the end it’s a group of South Africans demonstrating that the changes and transformation that we are embarking on here, they’re not favourably disposed to it. That’s why they are running away. As South Africans, we are resilient. We don’t run away from our problems,” Ramaphosa said. 

“And if you look at all national groups in our country, black and white, they’ve stayed in this country because it’s our country and we must not run away from our problems. We must stay here and solve our problems. When you run away you are a coward, and that’s a real cowardly act.”

President Ramaphosa at the Nampo festival. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)

Ramaphosa said the 'refugees' who flew to the US were really just unhappy with transformation in South Africa. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)