Afrikaner farmer, Theo de Jager, who is also the Executive Board chairperson of Saai – The Southern African Agriculture Initiative, has written a letter to US President Donald Trump.
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The letter comes in response to Trump’s recently executive order last Friday in which he froze US aid to South Africa, citing a law in the country that he alleges allows land to be seized from white farmers, despite denials from the SA government.
The law would “enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation,” Donald Trump said in an executive order.
Trump added that the United States would “promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination.”
‘The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall take appropriate steps, consistent with law, to prioritise humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement through the United States Refugee Admissions Programme, for Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination.
‘Such a plan shall be submitted to the President through the Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor,” the order added.
The South African government dismissed Donald Trump’s claims as misinformation.
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The back-and-forth between the two countries no doubt prompted farmer De Jager to take to social media to write his letter, as below:
Dear President Trump,
I am an Afrikaner farmer in the Limpopo province of South Africa and lead the biggest network for family farmers; Saai, which is similar to your Farm Bureau or National Farmers Union.
Your recent executive order on South Africa has certainly caused a stir, and we are intrigued by your leadership style. Your decisive leadership is addressing stagnant politics and is encouraging reform and revival. When you make a commitment, you follow through—a rare and commendable quality in politics. America is fortunate to have a leader who practices what he preaches.
We deeply appreciate your Christian, family-based values, which resonate with our constituency.
In your order, you made special provisions for Afrikaners to be given opportunities in the United States. We sincerely appreciate this, as many farmers in South Africa face dire circumstances—threats of land expropriation, increasing rural crime, and discriminatory access to financing and other critical resources. For some, the opportunity you have extended may be their only viable path forward.
That said, as a fundamental patriot yourself, you will understand our commitment to stay and fight for our home. Africa is in our blood, and despite the challenges, the vast majority of us have chosen to struggle within the ambit of our constitution.
We are also grateful for the programs that have allowed over 100,000 young South Africans to work on American farms, gaining valuable skills, exposure to advanced agricultural technologies, and a financial foundation to launch their own careers in the agricultural value chains back home.
Please do not close that door. These opportunities inspire and equip our young people and are not available for them in South Africa. It give them a launching pad for their livelihoods when they return from the USA. We are not asking for any young South Africans to be excluded – for us it is enough to be included on merit.
It is critical for you to understand that the tensions in our country are not simply a black-and-white issue. Many black family farmers, from other cultural communities, suffer just as much—if not more—under the weight of corruption, poor service delivery, and state inefficiencies. Families who are beneficiaries of land reform, and the traditional communities who share the rural spaces with our commercial farmers, are delivered to the same challenges as us, and often worse. Land reform in South Africa has failed to create a class of profitable black farmers, as they are often denied title deeds and left at the mercy of political elites and corrupt officials. The system has been captured, benefiting only a select few while leaving aspiring black commercial farmers and smallholders with little hope.
We respectfully ask that any future policies consider these realities and not punish hard-working black families who share our struggles.
At the core of South Africa’s problems is a political elite that has systematically looted state resources, hollowed out institutions, and undermined the rule of law.
A good constitution and sound laws mean nothing if a cadre deployment committee appoints judges based on race and political allegiance rather than merit. The Judicial Services Commission should never consider race, cultural background or language group in judicial appointments. Yet today, we see judges chastising legal teams for not selecting black counsel, even when race has no bearing on the case. Worse, our highest courts have ruled that radical political parties chanting “Kill the farmer, kill the Boer” does not constitute hate speech, while contrary to our president’s misleading claims at the UN General Assembly that farm murders are not an issue in South Africa, it remains one of the major forces driving families off their farms.
What we need is opportunity—real opportunities for the next generation to study, learn, and compete globally while ensuring no one is left behind. We need space for our diverse communities to preserve their heritage, culture, and languages, particularly through mother-tongue education.
We also need to move beyond the toxic influence of wokeness and the false narrative that anyone who criticizes poor governance or corruption is racist or anti-transformation. This is a lie perpetuated both in policy discussions and in the public discourse.
Mr. President, we know you are no stranger to the dark agendas and devastating role of mainstream media. Do not take your cue from what you read there. Instead, speak to the people on the ground—the ones who truly understand the challenges and realities of our situation.
Thank you for your bold leadership.
And please spare a thought for our neighbours in Zimbabwe of all cultural communities who have travelled further down this road than us.
Sincerely,
Dr Theo de Jager
Executive Board Chairman
Saai – The Southern African Agriculture Initiative
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