‘Not USA but You SA’: Betereinders have a message for Trump over asylum offer

An Afrikaner umbrella lobby group – set up to counter the activities of AfriForum and Solidarity – says the narrative presented to the White House administration is not something many Afrikaners want to be associated with.

Civic movement Betereinders cofounder Johan Erasmus said when they saw what was happening between US President Donald Trump and AfriForum, they decided to launch the “Not USA but You SA” campaign over last weekend with a billboard and street braai in Irene, Pretoria.

“We don’t think South Africa’s problems are solved in the White House or a white house,” he said.

SA problems aren’t solved in the White House

“They are solved when whites leave their white houses and go to black houses and resolve their issues with dialogue.

“Our nationality has always been questioned and we are called European settlers, but we are committed to this country, too, and you are not getting rid of us that easily.”

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The Betereinders “Not USA but You SA” campaign rejected Trump’s offer of asylum and was against the narrative of white victimisation and one-sided activism.

“We are appalled that only Afrikaners were considered refugees, and not English-speaking whites,” he said.

Erasmus said the Betereinders was formed by “a group of Afrikaners who were doing cool things in the corner and then decided to merge for the greater good”.

Betereinders campaign rejects Trump’s offer

“We started long ago with my colleagues Schalk van Heerden, and Roelf Meyer… who train township kids in soccer and use it as catalysts for social upliftment,” he said.

“I have always been more involved with the church world and used the church for social upliftment, where we take black people to white churches and take white people to talk to a black audiences to share their experiences of South Africa.”

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Erasmus said the Betereinders focused on two key points, which included reconciliation and restitution. It conducted various programmes and projects such as tutoring in Tembisa on the East Rand and Mamelodi, east of Pretoria.

“We take black kids to go and watch the Blue Bulls rugby team play and white children to go and watch a Mamelodi Sundowns soccer game,” he said.

Erasmus said the idea came about during a brainstorming session for a client of a friend who was later involved in the “Not USA but You SA” campaign.

‘Not USA but You SA’

“The message is firstly for Trump. No thank you for the refugee status and like Trump puts America first, we also just say to him, South Africa first. We are probably also nationalists in a certain sense,” he said.

Erasmus said oppression and victimisation were sensitive subjects as everyone has been a victim at some point.

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“But if you go look at our lifestyles objectively, it was hard to make an argument that white people were victims and oppressed in South Africa,” he said.

“We are not trying to deny that farm murders are not a problem, but we need to look at it in the context of the data.

“AfriForum deputy CEO Ernst Roets is telling America about what EFF leader Julius Malema sings and expropriation without compensation, without lying about it.

Look at the context of the data

“But an MK member can also get onto a plane and tell America about the 1913 land sacking and that 70% of privately owned land belonged to white people, and also wouldn’t have to lie about it.

“The problem with South Africa is you need to put those two problems next to each other, otherwise, it’s populism,” he said.

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Erasmus said his message to black people was that there were white people who wanted to stay in South Africa and were committed to the country and its people