Lennerd is an Afrikaner seemingly on a US H-2A visa and works on a farm somewhere in North Dakota. On the sprawling fields rise monstrous tractors – the sort that look unlike anything one would ordinarily see on a plaas somewhere in Mzansi. Cows smack their lips in the background and Lennerd cuts the camera to record another video for his growing TikTok followers on what life is like for immigrants who’ve temporarily traded in Nkosi Sikelela for the Star-Spangled Banner. Or, as some of his footage suggests, the braai for the barbecue.
In Afrikaans, he breaks down how the North Dakotians might receive an outsider from Africa – the attitudes, fast trucks, GMO-produce and ‘okay’ beer. Thanks to conveniences like self-checkout counters, Uncle Sam has long ran rings around SA but the brandy just doesn’t come anywhere close to our home-brewed brands, the people are often ‘ongeskikte bliksems’ but at least the opportunities are abundantly up for the taking to anybody who is willing to put his head down and break a sweat. His salary is paid in Dollars. He enjoys perks and incentives he could only dream of in SA, not to mention plenty more opportunities to make loads more cash if he sets his mind to it.
In fact, through Trump’s refugee programme for Afrikaners (which generously situates beneficiaries until they are able to see to their own upkeep), Lennerd’s parents have also recently touched down in Virginia. It’s a rather generous gesture but with one bitter caveat – once you’ve been granted asylum, there’s no room to change your mind. ‘You will, unfortunately, have to come and stay,’ says Lennerd, ‘you cannot go back.’ One family, which was part of this special refugee programme recently learnt this the hard way when they briefly returned to SA for medical attention only to be denied re-entry into the US. But these all seem rather trivial in comparison to the abrupt decision taken by Washington last week.
In the wake of the Trump administration’s announcement to place travel bans on as yet unnamed SA officials whom it believes are responsible for discrimination against whites and other minorities; its clear disapproval of the country’s race-based B-BBEE laws; the supposed genocide against white farmers, the US has taken the gloves off and is bearing down hard on anyone who would seek to challenge or question the veracity of their accusations. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s announcement came amid concerns about President Cyril Ramaphosa’s health following his visit to the BRICS’s summit two weeks ago.
The sheer timing of the announcement has immediately opened the entire matter up to all manner of speculation and conspiracy theory. It comes at the heel of the BRICS Summit as well as the Afrikaner group Lex Libertas’s announcement that they would be placing 3000 crosses – each bearing the name of a murdered farmer in the country – at the National Mall in Washington, DC. None of the US officials and diplomats who have since opened up their mouths on the matter have even tried to hide that Trump has it in for The Republic. Down to a man, they have been scathing; are clearly dead set on a pre-determined goal, and will not be swayed to so much as oblige a differing opinion. US ambassador to SA, Leo Brent Bozel, went as far as going on X to tweet that the sanctions are ‘the first step in a series of escalatory measures.’ They all seem to be reading from the same script.
Needless to say this has brought President Cyril Ramaphosa out to say that he remains ‘quite willing and prepared to continue engaging with the United States as we engage with all other countries in the world. Where there are challenges, we will go in with our dignity, with our sovereignty, to engage with those countries without bowing our heads and treating those nations respectfully and expecting them to treat us also respectfully.’
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has told South Africans to prepare for the worst. Trump clearly is not going to change his mind. One feels for The Republic: concede to US demands and you will look weak. You will lose face with the majority of the people, and given Trump’s vicious style, one doubts that the man will be truly satisfied with anything short of Ramaphosa abandoning the case at the ICJ and groveling before him in apology. Whether on the playground or in politics, bullies are never easy to appease.
Not at all unexpectedly, the manufacturers of ‘white genocide’ namely Afriforum, Solidariteit and Lex Libertas seem rather chuffed with how things have played out. They are set to embark on their US roadshow to take the issue of farm murders to the MAGA heartland. Of course not only has this culminated in backlash but has again created the ideal environment for the flourishing of racial finger-pointing which has, rather surprisingly, come with an interesting twist this time. The organisation Afrikaners for South Africa (AfSA) has been quick to try to put out some of the fires.
‘Some Afrikaner organisations have applauded the directive’ the organisation reportedly said on Daily Maverick, But they don’t speak for all Afrikaners – and on social media their stance has fuelled hostility toward the whole Afrikaner community. The actions of a few should not stigmatise an entire group. Our courts decide – not a foreign governments.’
DA MP serving on the International Relations Committee, Ryan Smith, expressed that; ‘we do not need any other country to hold a mirror to our face. We can see the effects of failed domestic policy for ourselves. The ANC does not need to be told by the USA that its policies are failing. It only needs to look at its plummeting electoral support as more and more South Africans reject its policies and governance that have repeatedly failed us all. We have a strong democracy and strong institutions. The ANC does not need visa restrictions. it will face its own consequences at the South African ballot box later this year.’
So whilst Lamola and the Buffalo are sweating bullets due to Trump’s ire, the ‘white genocide’ men will be out there fanning the flames. Others will be scrambling to pour water over them and ordinary people like Lennerd will be mulling over the choice of whether to stay home or move permanently over to the US. The rest of us, on the other hand, will sit crossing fingers that the tensions subside because when it’s all said and done, SA remains home – potholes and all.
Featured image: The White Cross Monument in Limpopo. Source: Afriforum Facebook page.