--- title: "Ramaphosa calls Afrikaans ‘refugee’ trek to US a ‘cowardly act’ at Nampo agricultural show" description: "President Ramaphosa let loose about the Afrikaans ‘refugees’ to the US during unscripted remarks while visiting South Africa’s premier showcase for commercial farmers." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "'ANTI-TRANSFORMATION'" author: "Ed Stoddard" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/ed-stoddard/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-13-ramaphosa-calls-afrikaans-refugee-trek-to-us-a-cowardly-act-at-nampo-agricultural-show/" published: "2025-05-13T14:49:18" updated: "2025-05-13T14:50:28" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 436 --- # Ramaphosa calls Afrikaans ‘refugee’ trek to US a ‘cowardly act’ at Nampo agricultural show > President Ramaphosa let loose about the Afrikaans ‘refugees’ to the US during unscripted remarks while visiting South Africa’s premier showcase for commercial farmers. By Ed Stoddard · Published 13 May 2025, 16:49 SAST · Updated 13 May 2025, 16:50 SAST ## Key points - President Cyril Ramaphosa has branded the 59 Afrikaners seeking refuge in the US as “cowards”, suggesting they’d rather embrace Trump than tackle the messy legacy of apartheid at home. - President Ramaphosa condemned the departure of 59 Afrikaners to the US as a "cowardly act", reflecting dissatisfaction with transformation efforts in South Africa. - He emphasised the resilience of South Africans, asserting that fleeing problems is not the solution and labelling those who leave as cowards. - The Afrikaners were welcomed in the US, where officials cited their claims of living under threat in South Africa, which Pretoria firmly denies. - Ramaphosa attended the Nampo harvest festival, balancing his roles as a farmer and president, while discussing key policies like the contentious Expropriation Act. ## Content President Cyril Ramaphosa said the 59 Afrikaners who had flown to the US as “refugees” had committed a “cowardly act” and were clearly unhappy with efforts to redress the inequities of the apartheid past. “I think that it’s a sad moment for them. They may be feeling excited that they left the country, that they’ve got somebody like President (Donald) Trump,” Ramaphosa said at an impromptu press briefing at the annual Nampo harvest festival near the Free State town of Bothaville. Ramaphosa was pointedly flanked by officials of Grain SA, the umbrella group for South African grains farmers, including CEO Tobias Doyer. “But in the end it’s a group of South Africans demonstrating that the changes and transformation that we are embarking on here, they’re not favourably disposed to it. That’s why they are running away. As South Africans, we are resilient. We don’t run away from our problems,” Ramaphosa said. “And if you look at all national groups in our country, black and white, they’ve stayed in this country because it’s our country and we must not run away from our problems. We must stay here and solve our problems. When you run away you are a coward, and that’s a real cowardly act.” ![President Cyril Ramaphosa interacts with visitors at NAMPO in Bothaville,Free State on 13 May 2025.(Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/EZOWYI26NJGngwxSXrQSz2ij4tw=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/20V9763.jpg) *President Ramaphosa at the Nampo festival. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![President Cyril Ramaphosa interacts with visitors at NAMPO in Bothaville,Free State on 13 May 2025.(Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/toWpfvJH-hpjf0ZN0SDlgynVPng=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/20V9758.jpg) *Ramaphosa said the 'refugees' who flew to the US were really just unhappy with transformation in South Africa. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* The “refugees” arrived in the US on Monday, 12 May 2025, and were welcomed by top US officials who claimed they had been “living under a shadow of violence and terror” in South Africa. Pretoria has categorically denied allegations of Afrikaner persecution in South Africa — allegations that are red meat for US President Donald Trump’s racially-charged Maga political base. **Read more:**[‘We’re sending a clear message’ — US welcomes Afrikaner ‘refugees’ in Washington](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-12-were-sending-a-clear-message-us-welcomes-afrikaner-refugees-in-washington/?dm_source=dm_block_grid&dm_medium=card_link&dm_campaign=main) “I’m here as a farmer but the organisers also wanted me to be here as the president. So I’m here in both roles to listen to them and discuss policy matters,” Ramaphosa said. Top of that list will be the Expropriation Act that allows for the confiscation of land by the state without compensation — a policy that stirred the embers of Trump’s crusade against South Africa. Ramaphosa’s remarks were brief and he then embarked on the back of a tractor-hauled trailer to go view the sights of Nampo, including the cattle stand where he said he hoped to see some brahman. **DM** *If you wish to comment on this issue, please send an email to**[letters@dailymaverick.co.za](mailto:letters@dailymaverick.co.za)* *Letters will be edited.* [Media on Daily Maverick: "Electricity bill"](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-13-ramaphosa-calls-afrikaans-refugee-trek-to-us-a-cowardly-act-at-nampo-agricultural-show/)