A growing number of white South Africans are choosing to leave the United States and move back home, despite political claims in Washington that the group faces persecution in South Africa.
According to Reuters, the shift runs counter to statements from Donald Trump and allies who have argued that the country’s Black-majority government is targeting white South Africans. South African officials have repeatedly said there is no evidence of systemic discrimination against white citizens.
Instead, many returnees say quality of life, lower living costs, family ties, and growing concerns about safety and political tensions abroad drive their decisions.
Andrew Veitch is among those preparing to make the move. The 53-year-old says he left South Africa in 2003 after being held up at gunpoint in his car. He settled in California. More than two decades later, he says the United States is much more dangerous.
“People are being shot in broad daylight. American citizens are being shot and killed,” Veitch told Reuters, citing mass shootings and incidents involving U.S. immigration officers. “I don’t want to live in a place like this.”
South Africa has also introduced policies that make it easier for former citizens to return. In November, the government launched an online portal allowing people who lost citizenship under a 1995 law to restore it. About 12,000 people have already checked their status, and Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said roughly 1,000 have successfully reclaimed their citizenship.
Recruitment agencies say interest from South Africans abroad has increased sharply. Some professionals are also able to keep their overseas jobs while living in South Africa, thanks to remote work.
Naomi Saphire, who lived in the United States for two decades, returned last year with her family and settled in the seaside town of Plettenberg Bay.
“My heart is just full of gratefulness to be here,” the 46-year-old also shared with the outlet. “The U.S. has been really good to me (but) I just felt like I was depriving my kids of this life.”
