‘It’s not unusual for that to happen in any situation, especially in a proof of concept,’ states Amerikaners.
A viral social media video claiming that South African Afrikaner families are struggling without necessities in American hotels has been dismissed as “hearsay” by the organisation assisting the refugee programme, amid growing controversy over the authenticity of the claims.
The dispute centres around a TikTok video posted by a South African-born woman living in the United States, who alleged that Afrikaner refugee families were living in dire conditions without food, money, or cellphones in hotel accommodations.
@afriforum here is a chance to put monthly contributions to good use. Help your Amerikaners phela. Help #Refugees fleeing from #genocide in South Africa before they start begging on the streets…… They aren’t welcome here in South Africa. pic.twitter.com/wbM956KEjY
— Thomas (@thisandtgat_) June 11, 2025
‘Struggling refugees’ viral claims challenged
“They were of the understanding that they were going to be arriving here to assistance. People thought they were going to be arriving at a house, a job, and medical insurance. It isn’t that way at all,” the woman with the TikTok username, @catpmt, claimed in the now-deleted video.
However, Sam Busa, founder of Amerikaners, an organisation that assists South Africans seeking refugee status in the United States, strongly disputed these allegations.
Busa characterised the claims as sensationalised content designed to undermine the refugee process.
She explained that administrative issues for pilot groups are always expected. According to Busa, the problems faced by the resettled Afrikaner group were resolved.
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Video removed after backlash
The TikTok user, identified by the handle @catpmt, subsequently removed the controversial video from her page.
In an explanation to her followers, she acknowledged the unintended consequences of her post.
“Thank you for visiting my page. The video you have come to see has been taken down due to constant flagging by the platform for bullying. It has also caused enough damage by fanning the flames of a fire that I did not realise existed.
“My hope is to use this page to show the difficulties and challenges a person faces when moving country, but in fun and educational way. The correct people have now stepped in to make sure
all parties get what they need,” she wrote.
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Amerikaners organisation defends refugee process
Busa reiterated that temporary hotel accommodation is standard practice in refugee programmes and rejected suggestions that the US government would abandon refugees without resources.
Speaking to The Citizen, Busa said those sharing the alleged struggle have always “been very negative about the refugee programme from the word go”.
Busa expressed frustration with the attention the story had received, describing it as being based on multiple levels of hearsay rather than verified facts.
“I think it’s been blown up into something that need not be,” she said.
“It’s all hearsay anyway. Nobody has the original source. So nobody even knows exactly what was said on a Facebook group.”
Despite defending the refugees against claims of hardship, Busa acknowledged that her organisation has no direct contact with the families who travelled to the United States.
“We are not involved with the US government whatsoever, and we do not help to provide anything. We’re not even connected. I don’t even know who the people were that were having trouble. They won’t even give their names because they don’t want the media to make a big mountain out of a molehill,” she said.
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‘Proof of concept’ administrative challenges
Busa explained that the families in question were part of a pilot programme designed to test the refugee resettlement process, making some initial challenges inevitable and expected.
“That was a pilot group, that was not the [total number of] refugees. That was the proof of concept,” she said.
“So what happened was they brought them into the country, they allocated everybody a caseworker, and it’s perfectly normal that a caseworker might not have called for two days or whatever, and then there’s a stumbling block somewhere. It’s not unusual for that to happen in any situation, especially in a proof of concept.”
The organisation’s founder detailed the extensive administrative process refugees must complete upon arrival, including applying for social security numbers, obtaining employment authorisation documents, accessing medical coverage, and receiving assistance with housing and job placement.
Busa added that since hundreds of thousands of people, including herself, will be migrating to the US, the refugee programmes need to ensure that “the system works on the other side”.
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Volunteer-run information network
Amerikaners operates as an informal volunteer network rather than a registered non-profit organisation, according to Busa.
The group emerged after the US executive order was issued and gained popularity among South Africans seeking information about the refugee programme.
“We’re just literally a bunch of people that care about our fellow South Africans, and we’re just helping out where we can. We, all of us — ourselves, want to go. So obviously we’re all in the same boat together,” she said.
The organisation focuses exclusively on providing information and guidance rather than financial assistance, helping potential refugees understand the legal aspects, paperwork requirements, and timeline of the refugee process.
“We don’t touch any money because we don’t want that target on our backs. We don’t touch any funding initiatives or anything like that,” Busa emphasised.
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