17k enquire about getting refugee status - SA Chamber of Commerce in the USA
The SA Chamber of Commerce in the US says it was overwhelmed by enquiries over the weekend after Donald Trump signed an order granting Afrikaners refugee status.
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures as he speaks at a campaign rally at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1 November 2024. Picture: KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP
Clement Manyathela speaks with Hein April of the SA Chamber of Commerce in the USA (SACCUSA).
Listen below:
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order which allows white, Afrikaans-speaking South Africans refugee status.
According to the Chamber of Commerce, more than 17,500 people have contacted them to enquire about going to the US under this order.
Most of these emails were enquiring about moving entire families over.
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April says they have received so many enquiries that it has collapsed their infrastructure.
“We are completely worried about this. It can cause a major brain drain and drain of skills in the farming sector.”
- Hein April, SA Chamber of Commerce in the USA
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