Amid Donald Trump's controversial offer for Afrikaners to move to the United States as refugees due to being 'persecuted' in South Africa, a couple has come forward and claimed they have been unsafe in the country since the fall of apartheid.
In the video that has gone viral, they address Trump directly and ask him to assist and intervene.
"The situation in South Africa is becoming increasingly dire and we fear for our safety and our family's. Since the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has faced numerous political challenges. The government has struggled to maintain stability and the country has experienced significant political dangers," the couple said in the clip posted on TikTok.
They go on to list these challenges as corruption, mismanagement and ineffective governance.
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"My husband served as a K9 police officer during South Africa's tumultuous political shift in 1994. During this period, he acted as a first responder to numerous incidents of violence including those of farm murders. The mortifying crime scenes he attended as a police officer will likely remain with him for all of his days."
According to the couple, he has been stabbed, shot and thrown off balconies and run over by cars.
"Mr president, that prevails in South Africa is not just random or incidental but often targeted," they continued.
"Farm attacks have become a grim and frequent occurrence to those who particularly reside in the rural areas ... This isn't living or even merely existing, Mr President, this is a targeted rat race in a maze designed to keep us hostage and trapped, with the only eventual outcome of being gathered and killed in the barrel they have contained us in."
While the dire message is for Trump, South Africans flocked to comment on the video, accusing the couple of being alarmist and being racist.
"Since the end of apartheid. Equality feels like oppression when you're accustomed to privilege so an equitable system will obviously feel unfair. Why aren't they going through the proper channels of applying for refugee status? The sooner these kinds of people leave the better," a response read.
In the same vein, another person called the couple a plague and asked why they took the time to write the letter instead of leaving the country.
"Why are you writing a letter while you can catch a plane and go tell him directly you people are a virus, a disease, everything that you people touch your ruin, just leave man no one is holding hostage."
Taking a shot at the woman's accent, one individual commented: "What the f*** is she saying? What language is she speaking? How are the Yanks supposed to understand what the hell she is saying? It's embarrassing, but actually a reflection of our poor-quality education. Anyway refugee - good luck in Great Depression America."
Numerous people accused the pair of shamelessly lying. "I'm sick of pathological liars and racist in our country. We have to kick them out, we clearly can't coexist."
Conversely, others showed support for the couple and vouched for them. "100% true, whites have been targeted for the last three decades. Our white children are too scared to walk to school because of the dangers."
Another individual agreed with the couple on their take on farm murders. "This is true. My heart goes out to all affected people. Group areas act created through BEE. So God help the people of South Africa. The Khoi and San must reclaim their land and rule. Power was shifted."
In a recent development, a Bill has been tabled in Congress outlining the Asylum for Farmers and Refugees in Crisis and Necessary Emigration Resettlement (Africaner) Bill.
It was introduced by Republican Congressman Troy Nehls and will give Priority-2 refugee status to Afrikaners.
"The Afrikaner population in South Africa has been experiencing unjust racial discrimination, and the situation continues to get worse by the day," said Nehls.
"President Trump is right. How Afrikaners are being treated is a massive human rights violation. My bill will offer Afrikaners a pathway to the United States to flee the persecution they've lived through initiated by their own government."
IOL Politics