Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum has criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa for insulting Afrikaner refugees by calling them “cowards”, emphasising that Ramaphosa should take responsibility for his “own complicity in the exodus and planned emigration of Afrikaners to the US and the rest of the world”.

US President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday welcomed 59 white South Africans, after he granted them refugee status in the US.

During a visit to the NAMPO agricultural industry show in the Free State on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said the decision of the South Africans to move to US as refugees was cowardly, and he expected they would soon return.

Ramaphosa further said those who wanted to leave were not happy with efforts to address the inequities of the apartheid past.

He said South Africans were resilient and did not run away from their problems.

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said Ramaphosa’s decisions and actions were “causing serious alienation among many Afrikaners”.

"Refugees don’t run away; they are chased away – and that is exactly what Ramaphosa, and his government are doing. By further insulting Afrikaners and continuing to ignore issues that affect Afrikaners, Ramaphosa is only digging the gulf of alienation even deeper,” said Kriel.

He said AfriForum respected the right of people to leave the country but remained committed to the fight against the “injustices” committed against Afrikaners and other minorities in general, to also ensure a future for Afrikaners and other minorities in South Africa.

Kriel said Ramaphosa’s continued refusal to condemn calls for violence against Afrikaners, such as the “Kill the Boer” chant, contributed to this alleged alienation.

“Additionally, the President’s approval of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, an anti-Afrikaans piece of legislation, and the Expropriation Act, along with the Ramaphosa government’s use of discriminatory racial legislation and draconian racial regulations, directly contribute to the alienation of Afrikaners and other minority communities in the country,” he said.

He stressed that AfriForum, and most Afrikaners, were here to stay.