Elon Musk's strong reaction to South Africa calling Afrikaners 'cowards'

Elon Musk has strongly reacted to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa calling the Afrikaners who sought asylum in the United States 'cowards'. The Donald Trump administration has shut its doors to all illegal immigrants forcing them out of the country, encouraging them to leave on their own so that the administration does not have to arrest them. But Afrikaners -- an ethnic group with predominantly Dutch origins -- have been welcomed to the US.

The move has created tension between the US and South Africa, and Ramaphosa added to it by calling the group of 59 white South Africans who have arrived in the US on Monday "cowards". He also said that they will be back soon.

"As South Africans, we are resilient. We don't run away from our problems. We must stay here and solve our problems. When you run away you are a coward, and that's a real cowardly act," Ramaphosa added.

"If you look at all national groups in our country, black and white, they've stayed in this country because it's our country and we must not run away from our problems. We must stay here and solve our problems," Ramaphosa said.

The South African government just said whites are "cowards" who are fleeing “racial justice”.

But what exactly do they mean by "racial justice"? https://t.co/OW140lsVDs

— gorklon rust (@elonmusk) May 15, 2025

"I can bet you that they will be back soon because there is no country like South Africa," he added.

Elon Musk who is also from South Africa reacted to an X post that claimed that Ramaphosa said these 'coward' Afrikaners are fleeing "racial justice". "This isn't politics. This is a diplomatic earthquake. A democracy just admitted it believes certain people deserve suffering. This was a very serious escalation," the post read.

"But what exactly do they mean by racial justice?" Elon Musk, who has long been claiming that there was a genocide of white farmers in South Africa, wrote.

In January, Ramaphosa signed a law allowing the government to seize privately owned land without compensation in certain circumstances, when it is deemed "equitable and in the public interest". This created the tension though the South African government said no land has yet been seized under this act.