Lamola calls Trump’s Afrikaner resettlement programme ‘Apartheid 2.0’

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has drawn both criticism and praise after remarks at the African Diaspora Forum in Washington, DC, organised by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

Lamola left for the United States of America (USA) this week to lead South Africa’s delegation to the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, taking place in New York from 18-28 September 2026.

The minister is scheduled to meet on various issues, including economic diplomacy, South Africa’s relations with the USA, and other international relations matters.

US-SA relations

Relations between South Africa and the US have been on shaky ground amid false claims of a white genocide from the Trump administration and the signing of the Expropriation Bill.

Last year, US President Donald Trump cut USAID funding to several countries, including South Africa.

However, he criticised South Africa for “doing very bad things” and “violating human rights against certain groups of people”.

Following the statement on “certain groups of people”, Trump offered Afrikaners a deal to resettle in the US.

Last week, the Trump administration slapped SA officials with new visa restrictions over what it describes as “discriminatory policies”.

This may be a result of AfriForum’s lobbying. Last year, AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said his organisation would officially request the US to be selective in punishing South Africa over land expropriation.

At the time, Kriel said his organisation would write to Trump to ensure any “punishment” affects only a few ANC leaders, rather than taking a blanket approach.

“Afriforum will officially request the USA to directly punish senior ANC leaders and not the people of South Africa,” said Kriel.

“We, as ordinary citizens, are already being punished by a hostile and foolish government and Presidency in South Africa and do not want to be punished as well.”

‘There is no genocide in South Africa’

In introducing Lamola at the Forum, US Congressman Jonathan Jackson criticised his own government for its treatment of South Africa.

“This administration will continue its attacks on the freedom of South Africa. Can you imagine the last free nation in Africa from colonialism? When the United States, in my childhood, was supporting the white minority over the black majority purely because of race. Now that they have found their freedom, they are imposing visa restrictions on them. It’s enough to be insulting,” Jackson told the gathering.

“South Africa is an independent and sovereign nation that has maintained its level of dignity. Mr Elon Musk should not be lying on the African people. There is no genocide in South Africa. As I introduce the Honourable Ronald Lamola, let me apologise as a member of the United States House of Representatives on behalf of my government that is lying on the free people of South Africa.

“Thank you for your dignity. Thank you for your honour, and thank you for gracing us with your presence today. There is no genocide in South Africa. Thank you for being a freedom-loving people and thank you for being a democracy. Thank you for being a nation that has character and conviction. Please share your remarks with us.”

Lamola on ‘Apartheid 2.0’

In his remarks, Lamola criticised the Trump administration for its stance on South African policies. Lamola said the Trump administration was criticising SA’s policies because it is against social cohesion.

“If South African democracy succeeds in terms of achieving the advancement of all humanity, black, white, Indians and everyone, that they can live together, it means it can also succeed in the United States of America,” said Lamola.

“So where must you kill it to show that there will be no example of all this humanity coexisting together? You must kill it in the last democracy that has this diversity. We constitute the highest number of white people outside the Northern Hemisphere in any way.

“In the country of South Africa, blacks and whites co-exist. The South African government has a constitutional democracy that allows everyone, with whatever diversity, to live together free of any restrictions of any nature.

“So if you want to kill the spirit of a black man, you must kill it. Firstly, in South Africa, to show even the black Americans that they cannot go anywhere. And this is what the South African government is a victim of.

The South Africans have now been victims of what is called by Congressman Jackson a genocide against white people that does not exist. A genocide that has now opened the doors for what is now called an Afrikaner resettlement programme in the United States. Where only white Africans from South Africa are allowed to be refugees here. And all of you, or any other race, are not allowed. It’s a race-based policy. Which is what we call Apartheid 2.0. Because it’s a race-based policy. Apartheid was a race-based policy.”