White South Africans Returning Home as Concerns Mount Abroad

BY MIRABEL ODETA

Andrew Veitch, who left South Africa after being held up at gunpoint in his car, now believes the threats abroad have become even greater. Living in California since 2003, Veitch cites mass shootings in public spaces and violent incidents involving U.S. immigration officers as reasons for his growing unease. “People are being shot in broad daylight. American citizens are being shot and killed,” said the 53-year-old. “I don’t want to live in a place like this.”

Veitch plans to return to South Africa this year, joining thousands of white South Africans choosing to come back, despite claims from some foreign political figures suggesting the white minority is persecuted under the country’s Black-majority government. Pretoria maintains there is no evidence of systemic discrimination or persecution against whites. Many who left since the end of white minority rule in 1994 cited concerns such as crime and difficulty securing jobs, while an increasing number are now returning.

Veitch is among approximately 12,000 people who have checked their citizenship status through a government online portal launched in November after the overturning of a 1995 law that stripped some South Africans of citizenship for leaving the country. Although they represent only a fraction of the South African diaspora, official statistics from 2022 indicate nearly 15,000 white South Africans returned that year.

Expats cite multiple reasons for returning, including lower living costs, political stability, and proximity to family. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, part of the white-led Democratic Alliance party, said 1,000 people had already reclaimed citizenship, with the number expected to rise as the program expands. Schreiber, a returnee himself after spending time in the U.S. and Germany, said, “There is definitely a sense of optimism for South Africans abroad.”

Recruitment agencies assisting expats have reported a surge in inquiries. Employment agency DNA Employer of Record noted a 70% increase in requests from white South Africans looking to return in the past six months, while Johannesburg-based firm HomecomingEx reported a roughly 30% rise since 2024. Many cited family connections, lower living costs, and dissatisfaction with political or social conditions abroad as key motivators. A “Return to South Africa” Facebook group with over 25,000 members reflects these same reasons.

The Trump administration recently expanded its refugee program for white South Africans, focusing on Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch settlers. About 3,500 South Africans have entered the United States as refugees since the program began in May 2025. Some applicants reported experiencing racially motivated crime and employment policies favoring non-white candidates, designed to redress decades of white minority rule.

The growth of remote work since the COVID-19 pandemic has made returning more feasible, as some professionals continue to work for foreign companies while living in South Africa. Private security measures at many homes have also helped mitigate crime risks. Anton van Heerden, CEO of DNA Employer of Record, said, “If you can afford to live in a safe environment, you can have a much better life than I think in most places in the northern hemisphere.”

Several returnees noted improvements in South Africa since they left. Daily power cuts have largely ceased, and the overall sense is one of gradual recovery. Thirty-eight-year-old engineer Eugene Jansen, who returned from the Netherlands in December with his wife and two children, said the sentiment among returnees is largely positive. “The opinion is that the country is improving,” he said, reflecting a broader confidence among those choosing to resettle in their homeland.