South African FM Calls Trump's Afrikaner Asylum Plan 'Race-Based Policy'

South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola described the United States' plan to grant asylum to Afrikaners as a "race-based policy," in an interview on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Washington's plan would take in up to 17,500 more white South Africans under the asylum program, according to the report. Lamola dismissed characterizations of a Afrikaner "genocide" in South Africa as "fake news."

The comments reflect continued tension between Pretoria and Washington over the US asylum policy targeting Afrikaners, a policy South African officials have repeatedly disputed on the grounds that it misrepresents conditions in the country.

The source material does not include a response from US officials to Lamola's specific characterization of the policy during this interview.

The issue remains a point of diplomatic friction between the two countries.