South Africa’s Afrikaner Separatists Seek Trump’s Support for Independent State

A fringe group of white Afrikaner nationalists in South Africa is making an unlikely appeal to former U.S. President Donald Trump, hoping to gain his backing for their campaign to establish an autonomous homeland.

The movement, led by organizations like the Afrikaner Self-Determination Party, argues that the country’s rising crime, economic instability, and affirmative action policies threaten their cultural survival. They envision a self-governed territory, echoing past apartheid-era “volkstaat” proposals.

While Trump has not publicly responded, his past remarks on minority rights and nationalist politics have emboldened the group’s outreach. Analysts, however, dismiss their chances of success, noting the South African government’s firm stance against ethnic separatism and the lack of international support for such a move.

Critics warn that the campaign risks inflaming racial tensions in a nation still grappling with apartheid’s legacy. Meanwhile, mainstream Afrikaner leaders distance themselves, calling the push unrealistic and divisive.