The Kleinfontein community, a settlement of 1,500 Afrikaner residents outside Pretoria, has declined the offer to relocate to the United States, which was made in line with President Donald Trump's recent executive orders.
This was revealed on Monday during a visit by members of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, who went to the Afrikaner-only settlement on a fact-finding mission to assess the area's status and its place in South Africa’s democratic dispensation.
Rian Genis, chairperson of board of directors, said he has no desire to relocate to America.
“I have no wish to live in America or my children to grow in America or my grandchildren. If they choose it, that is their choice. I cannot dictate to them. But I would like to be buried, and it is very important, underneath a thorn tree in Africa. I want the thorn tree roots to grow from my heart,” he said.
Speaking after meeting with MK members led by MP Mzwanele Manyi, Genis said: “We don’t want to be a foreign nation on a foreign soil. We are Africans and so we would want to stay here and that is not an option for us to consider.”
He said while some individuals might be tempted to take up Trump's offer and relocate to America, as a community, they don't consider it a viable option for them.
“There are probably a few individuals that would like to take up the offer and if they feel that way, it is up to them but, as a community we don’t regard it as an offer for us,” he said.
When asked about the community's sentiment regarding Trump's offer, Genis said: “We are intrigued. The world politics at the moment is intriguing; the tariff wars and everything that is happening internationally. And we take it that the countries are positioning themselves in terms of a new order that will be established and we are too small a player to have a say to become involved in that.”
He said the community is focused on more pressing issues, such as getting the settlement formalised by the City of Tshwane, adding that "that's a much more burning issue for us".
Jan Goenewald, a resident and board member, said at 80, he would not consider Trump's offer because he still cherishes a hope of a better South Africa for all.
“But I accept that if things are worsening in the country then you will have a large number of young people taking it up because they don’t have access to the economy here. But I still have hope,” he said.
He described Kleinfontein as a gate-controlled Christian community with strict rules that prohibit racism and attacks on any religion.
Manyi argued that the Kleinfontein community's interpretation of Section 235 of the Constitution as justification for exclusivity, where outsiders are not welcome, amounted to a constitutional violation.
Section 235 of the Constitution recognises the right to self-determination of communities sharing a common cultural and language heritage.
Manyi said: “If you have a community of Kleinfontein has interpreted Section 235 to mean that there must be this exclusivity. They don’t want somebody from outside, they just want to do their own thing. To what extent is that not a violation of the Constitution? I am arguing that it is actually a violation of the Constitution because the Constitution is very clear that we have one country for everyone.”