Khumbudzo Ntshavheni Commends Afrikaners Who Rejected Persecution Claim, Pushes for Treason Probe

• Khumbudzo Ntshavheni doesn’t believe that the Afrikaners who left the country are a threat
• The Minister in the Presidency weighed in on the departure of 49 citizens to the United States of America
• Ntshavheni wants police to continue treason investigations into those making false claims about the country

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

WESTERN CAPE – The 49 Afrikaners who left the country for the United States of America are not a threat to the sovereignty and unity of South Africa.

That’s according to Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, who reflected on the departure of the group.

The 49 Afrikaners, who reportedly are from farming families, arrived in the USA on 13 May 2025 after Donald Trump’s executive order allowed for them to be considered as refugees and leave South Africa.

Trump allowed Afrikaners to apply for refugee status if they felt threatened or unsafe in South Africa. The US President maintains that terrible things are happening in South Africa, which is why he wanted to help the minority in the country.

Ntshavheni doesn’t believe departure will cause problems

Responding to questions in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Tuesday, 13 May, Ntshavheni addressed the issue.

While she commended Afrikaners who rejected the claims of persecution, she also stated that she didn’t believe the departure of the others would cause any problems.

“I’m sure members will be tempted to say the 49 people who moved from being citizens to become refugees are a threat to national sovereignty. It’s not a threat to national sovereignty; it’s not a threat to national unity,” she stated.

Ntshavheni wants treason investigations to continue

While reflecting on the departure of the group, the minister called for treason investigations to continue.

She stated that those who were spreading false information about the state of the country could not go unpunished.

Ntshavheni added that the country achieved democracy, but it came at a huge sacrifice, and thus, the government’s transformation agenda could not be compromised now.

What you need to know about Afrikaners in the USA

• AfriForum’s Kallie Kriel reacted to the departure of 49 Afrikaners to the USA.
• Ronald Lamola rejected claims that white Afrikaners were being persecuted in South Africa.
• Cyril Ramaphosa maintained that there was no persecution of white people going on.
• An American church leader refused to help Afrikaners settle into the United States.
• Donald Trump claimed that the media were not reporting on the terrible things happening in SA.

What you need to know about Khumbudzo Ntshavheniya

Khumbudzo Ntshavheni is a politician currently serving as Minister in the Presidency, a role she took on in March 2023. Before that, she was Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies and Minister of Small Business Development. She's a member of the African National Congress (ANC).

Earlier in her career, Ntshavheni was appointed as the chief operating officer at the State Information Technology Agency (SITA). She and several other executives were placed on suspension, reportedly linked to an irregular tender process.

Before the ANC’s 54th National Conference in December 2017, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni joined Cyril Ramaphosa’s successful presidential campaign, known as CR17. Alongside Thembi Siweya, she helped coordinate the campaign in Limpopo, her home province, an area where Ramaphosa also had strong personal connections.

An exposé later surfaced about how funds from the CR17 campaign were used to reimburse politicians and strategists. According to the report, R5 million was allegedly paid to Khumbudzo Ntshavheni through a company called Phore Farms, where she had previously served as managing director. A follow-up story claimed that part of the money was used to purchase a luxury vehicle.

ANC and Afrikaner representatives engage on key issues

The African National Congress (ANC) and representatives of the Afrikaner community recently met to discuss key issues.

Briefly News reported that Fikile Mbalula shared some of the details of the talks that took place between the two groups.

The ANC Secretary-General noted that the Afrikaner representatives had reservations about some of the laws in the country.

Source: Briefly News