White South African Andrew Veitch, who relocated to California after a robbery at gunpoint in his home country, now plans to return to South Africa because he feels less safe in the United States. Veitch told Reuters that he is concerned about mass shootings and violence by U.S. immigration officers. He said, “People are being shot in broad daylight. American citizens are being shot and killed. I don’t want to live in a place like this.”
Veitch’s decision comes as President Donald Trump and his administration continue to claim that white South Africans face persecution by South Africa’s Black-led government.
The report says that Veitch is part of a growing group of white South Africans either returning home or preparing to do so, even as the Trump administration expands a refugee program for Afrikaners, the descendants of mainly Dutch settlers. Since this program began in May 2025, about 3,500 South Africans have entered the United States as refugees.
Some white South Africans are returning home after decades abroad, citing lower costs and higher living standards, despite U.S. President Trump’s appeal to flee alleged discrimination https://t.co/KGpVsHdscD pic.twitter.com/KT6qyXbqwR
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 11, 2026
Pretoria has denied claims of persecution against white South Africans. South African officials have said there is no evidence of discrimination against whites, despite ongoing serious issues with crime and unemployment in the country. Many white South Africans left after apartheid ended in 1994, often citing crime or job difficulties. However, the same report indicates that many are now returning for practical and personal reasons.
The Reuters report stated that Veitch is among 12,000 people who checked their citizenship status through an online government portal that launched in November, after South Africa reversed a 1995 law that stripped some emigrants of their citizenship. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber told the publication that about 1,000 people have already reclaimed citizenship, and he expects the number to grow. “There is definitely a sense of optimism for South Africans abroad,” Schreiber said.
According to official data cited by Reuters, nearly 15,000 white South Africans returned in 2022. A Stats SA analysis found that, of 28,000 South Africans who returned that year, 52.9%, or about 14,800, were white. The report adds that a net outward flow of half a million white South Africans since 2001, including 95,000 from 2021 to 2026, indicating that migration continues in both directions.
South African journalist Max du Preez says the Trump administration’s policy of granting refugee status to White South Africans is a “complete absurdity,” adding, “They’re saying White lives are worth more than other lives.” https://t.co/XtqpBQ3JR0 pic.twitter.com/xn31bDLluG
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) February 23, 2026
Several individuals interviewed by Reuters mentioned that they returned for a better quality of life, lower living costs, and closer family connections. Naomi Saphire, who came back from North Carolina to Plettenberg Bay last year, said she wanted a different upbringing for her children. “My heart is just full of gratefulness to be here,” Saphire told the publication, adding: “The U.S. has been really good to me, but I just felt like I was depriving my kids of this life.”
The Reuters report noted that remote work has made these moves easier, allowing some returnees to keep their jobs abroad while living in South Africa. Anton van Heerden, CEO of employment agency DNA Employer of Record, said that inquiries from white South Africans looking to return increased by 70% in the last six months. He informed the publication that people who can afford to live in secure areas can enjoy a better lifestyle in South Africa than in many countries in the northern hemisphere.
Trump has heavily focused on farm killings and allegations of anti-white bias. However, police statistics, per the report, show that more Black people than whites were killed in farm murders last year, and South African officials challenge the notion that violent crime targets a specific race.
Engineer Eugene Jansen, who returned from the Netherlands in December, said the people he knows believe the country is improving. “The opinion is that the country is getting better,” he said.
