How charter flight for Afrikaner refugees to US was approved

THE NATIONAL Department of Transport said an application for a permit for a chartered airplane that arrived on Sunday to ferry South African Afrikaner refugees to the United States was approved by the International Air Services Council.

On Sunday night, the plane carrying 49 Afrikaners departed for the United States under US President Donald Trump’s offer for the “discriminated” South African individuals and families to relocate.

Department of Transport spokesperson Collen Msibi was at OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park on Sunday night. He told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that a stringent process was followed for the plane to be permitted into South Africa, and it would be monitored as it makes its way to the US.

“First of all, the reason I am here is that there was an application lodged with the council, which is the International Air Services Council. That was lodged on May 5, so we have had to take that application to the council. 

“With that set of applications, you have got to state a number of things. First, is how many flights are involved, how many passengers are we talking about and the route that you will be taking. All that information was contained ... It was stated quite clearly that this is for the Afrikaners who are relocating to the US as refugees," he said.

Msibi said the council, as an independent body, subsequently approved the permit, which is called a foreign operators permit.

He said a number of aspects, including the technical provisions of the flight being used, were checked by the Civil Aviation Authority. The process also includes a thorough check on the documentation of the crew members.

“That was taken to the council, hence the application was approved. We are talking of about 49 people from what I saw in terms of those who are going to be on this particular flight,” he said.

On Sunday night, Msibi said the flight was scheduled to depart at 8pm.

The plane operator had an obligation to submit a flight plan to the Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) to alert the authorities of the plane coming into South Africa’s air space.

“That was done and they are quite aware of what is happening. This flight comes from Texas and it went through Dakar (Senegal), and to OR Tambo International Airport. As it takes off, it is going to go the same route - OR Tambo, Dakar, Washington DC, then back to Texas. Basically, that is the route that they are taking,” he said.

“As they pass all these stations, they need to report to the ATNS in terms of their whereabouts. It is part of the mandate of the ATNS.”

On Saturday, it was reported that South Africa's Ministry of International Relations and Co-operation said the resettlement of South Africans in the United States under the guise of being “refugees” is entirely politically motivated and designed to question South Africa’s constitutional democracy.

It has been reported that officials from the Departments of State and Homeland Security in the US will be welcoming the arrival of the first group of Afrikaners in Washington DC on Monday. They have been granted refugee status.

Trump suspended the US refugee settlement programme in January, on his first day in office, leaving more than 100,000 people approved for resettlement stranded, having fled war and persecution in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan.

However, in February, Trump signed an executive order directing his government to grant refugee status to Afrikaners, who he claimed were discriminated against.