South African authorities raided an application centre yesterday after intelligence that “a number of Kenyan nationals had recently entered South Africa on tourist visas and had illegally taken up work processing the applications of so-called ‘refugees’ to the US,” the Home Affairs Department said.
“During the operation, seven Kenyan nationals were discovered engaging in work despite only being in possession of tourist visas, in clear violation of their conditions of entry into the country,” it said.
They were arrested and issued with deportation orders.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said later that all seven had “self-deported” after signing an acknowledgement of the deportation orders.
“They have thus now all left the country and are prohibited from re-entering South Africa for a period of five years, after violating the terms of their tourist visas by performing work,” he said.
The Trump Administration in October announced plans to take in 7500 refugees in the 2026 financial year, with most places going to white Afrikaners.
It has repeatedly claimed that Afrikaners are being persecuted since the end of white minority rule in 1994, citing attacks on their farms and requirements for black representation in business.
Pretoria firmly rejects the allegations, pointing out that black South Africans are the main victims of the country’s high crime rate and that economic empowerment laws are intended to redress stark inequalities inherited from apartheid.
A first group of around 50 Afrikaners was flown to the US for resettlement in May. Others have reportedly followed in smaller numbers.
‘Unacceptable’
The South African Government said no US officials were arrested in the raid, which was not conducted at a diplomatic site.
No prospective “refugees” were harassed, it said, adding that the Government had contacted US and Kenyan officials over the issue.
US resettlement processing in South Africa is carried out by the Resettlement Support Centre (RSC) Africa operated by the US-based Church World Service.
After reports emerged of a raid on an application processing centre, US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement to US media that “interfering” in US refugee operations was “unacceptable”.
Washington officials were “seeking immediate clarification from the South African Government and expect full co-operation and accountability”.
The South African Home Affairs Department said that “foreign officials” were apparently co-ordinating with the undocumented workers which “raises serious questions about intent and diplomatic protocol”.
Ties between the two countries have plummeted since Trump took office, with his Administration lashing out at South Africa over a range of policies, expelling its ambassador in March and imposing 30% trade tariffs.
The fallout led Washington to boycott South Africa’s summit of the G20 group of leading economies in November.
The US took over the rotating year-long G20 presidency this month and has said South Africa would not be invited to events that it hosts.
-Agence France-Presse
