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The first group of “Afrikaner refugees” are expected to land in the United States next week, the New York Times reported today. They are being granted refugee status on the basis of a web of right-wing lies that South Africa is grabbing land owned by Whites and conducting a genocide against Afrikaners. These lies have had a profoundly detrimental effect on South Africa’s relationship with the US.

The facts are that no White-owned land has been expropriated without due, sometimes over-generous, compensation. And, while every murder is one too many, the number of White farmers who have been killed in so-called farm attacks is statistically negligible in the context of South Africa’s murder rate.

Thirty-one years after apartheid, labour statistics indicate that unemployment is lowest for White citizens, and that they occupy a disproportionate number of managerial positions. White-controlled companies are disproportionately represented on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and, while millions of South Africans live in shacks, without livelihoods or dignity, with very few exceptions, these are people of colour.

In short, the story that South Africa’s government is exacting retribution against White citizens for apartheid is false. Many would argue that more should have been achieved to narrow apartheid-engineered poverty and inequality over the more than three decades of democracy.

Considering these facts, it feels repulsive that a group of relatively privileged South Africans, who falsely claim that they are being systematically stripped of their land and lives, should be entitled to monetise their wealth – often accrued due to discriminatory colonial and apartheid policies – and ride off into the sunset.

Apartheid South Africa implemented rigorous exchange control regulations to keep South African money at home. Exchange controls are generally bad because they scare potential investors.  The circumstances under which the Afrikaner refugees are leaving, in a blaze of damaging disinformation, however, do mitigate special measures.

It is time for South Africa to finally cross the democracy Rubicon and redistribute some of its wealth, to narrow inequality and create a sustainable base. This exercise may take the form of a wealth tax, for which many political parties, including GOOD, have been advocating. A form of wealth tax was first proposed 25 years ago by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

While the Constitution and Expropriation Act would preclude South Africa from confiscating the fixed property of these so-called refugees, a simple approach to taxing some of their wealth would be for the State to impose a special wealth tax on the proceeds of land sales that leave our shores under these circumstances. 

Issued by Brett Herron, GOOD Secretary-General