By Johnathan Paoli
South African authorities have reportedly carried out an operation at a Johannesburg facility allegedly linked to the processing of Afrikaner refugee applications to the United States, briefly disrupting activities and fuelling fresh diplomatic tension between Pretoria and Washington.
However, South African authorities have not confirmed that the site was an official United States refugee processing centre, nor that the operation targeted US government personnel.
Inside Politics reached out to retired US veteran and Afrikaner rights activist, Chris Wyatt, who confirmed that he had received witness accounts concerning the alleged raid on Tuesday.
“South African uniformed officials wearing khaki uniforms, which appear to be from Border Management and Immigration, rocked up at a Johannesburg US immigration refugee processing site, raided the site, intimidated the refugee applicants there, taking videos of them, threatening them with words, menacing them, taking photographs of them, seeking people who are present,” Wyatt said
He said US officials packed up their things and left.
Wyatt described the Johannesburg operation as a “major diplomatic provocation”.
Reports of the incident emerged amid already strained relations between the two countries, following repeated false claims by US President Donald Trump and senior figures in his administration that white Afrikaners in South Africa have been the targets of a “white genocide”.
The South African government has consistently rejected these claims as unfounded.
US Principal Deputy State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Washington had raised concerns with the South African government and was seeking urgent clarification.
“The Trump Administration has consistently raised concerns about the treatment of Afrikaners in South Africa, including allegations of racial targeting, violence, and the failure of authorities to adequately protect certain communities. We are seeking immediate clarification from the South African government and expect full cooperation and accountability,” Pigott said.
Pigott added that while the administration was still establishing the facts, it would “always stand up for US interests, US personnel, and the rule of law, describing any interference in US refugee operations as “unacceptable”.
The alleged enforcement action comes in the wake of Washington’s decision to sharply cut refugee admissions.
The US Presidential Determination for Fiscal Year 2026 set the refugee admissions ceiling at 7,500, published in the Federal Register on 31 October 2025.
The move has been widely criticised by refugee advocates and covered as an unprecedented narrowing of the programme, with reporting indicating a focus on white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners.
The claims have not been independently verified, and South African authorities have not confirmed any raid involving a US-run centre.
In a separate but related development, the Department of Home Affairs did confirm the arrest of seven Kenyan nationals during a “routine, lawful operation” targeting immigration violations.
Home Affairs said the individuals had entered South Africa on tourist visas but were illegally working at a centre processing US-bound “refugee” applications, despite their work visa applications having been previously declined.
The department said the Kenyan nationals were issued with deportation orders and barred from re-entering South Africa for five years.
It stressed that no US officials were arrested, the site was not diplomatic property, and no members of the public were harassed.
Home Affairs added that the Department of International Relations and Cooperation had initiated diplomatic engagements with both the United States and Kenya to resolve the matter.
INSIDE POLITICS