She packed her bags, boarded a flight to the US citing racial persecution, and now one of the Afrikaner “refugees” from Gqeberha has put her Lorraine home on the market for R2.3m.
Santana de Bruyn, 33, her three children, 14, 10, and an infant about to turn one, along with her 62-year-old mother, Susanna de Bruyn, are just some of the 13 Afrikaners, mostly from middle-class suburbs in the city, who embarked on the journey.
Earlier in May, 59 passengers left SA on a chartered plane and landed at Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC.
Those from Gqeberha included five children.
Their departure is under international scrutiny and has fuelled heated political debate.
Other former Gqeberha residents include Jacqueline Botha, 53, Maxine Mitchell, 32, Desmond Botha, 27, Nianca Botha, 27, Debbie van der Westhuizen, 52, and Nicolaas van der Westhuizen, 49.
Desmond and Nianca left with their daughter, 1, while Maxine departed with her child, 9.
Some of their details are listed in a passenger list, while other information was obtained from sources and online searches.
On Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the White House, where he sought to reset bilateral relations with the US.
He also responded to false claims of a white genocide in SA.
In February, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to expedite the passage of “white Afrikaner farmers” into the US refugee system.
He claimed the Afrikaner population of SA were the victims of a genocide.
The wording on the refugee application was later changed to reflect “minorities”.
Santana put her R2.3m house on the market on Friday.
Contacted via WhatsApp, Santana declined to be interviewed, saying she had a right to privacy and was concerned for her children.
When asked about her reasons for leaving and any experiences of racial persecution, she said she was not from Gqeberha but a nearby farm.
Santana said she was under no obligation to discuss her circumstances.
When reporters visited the property on Thursday, the gate was unlocked and a “For Sale” sign was planted in front of the brick boundary wall.
The front door was locked and the windows were closed.
In a separate section along the side of the corner property, Roelof de Bruyn, 69, identified himself as Susanna’s brother.
He lives with their 90-year-old mother and two dogs.
Roelof said the family’s departure was a surprise to him.
“They said Trump was flying them for free from Gqeberha to Johannesburg and then to the US.
“Then he will give them houses, furniture and vouchers to buy food.
“They wanted us to go but I cannot go with my mom at this age.”
He said that Susanna and his niece, Santana, constantly worried about crime, even though he could not recollect any incident at their houses.
“They were quite happy as far as I know, but the thing is, they were very worried about their dogs, which they had to give up for adoption.”
He said they moved to Gqeberha five years ago after relocating from Johannesburg as Susanna wanted to be closer to their 90-year-old mother.
“They were worried and crying about the crime all the time,” he said.
“As far as I know, there has never been anything here.”
He said he had last spoken to them before they left and they promised to contact him once they had new cellphone numbers and settled in.
A neighbour was shocked to hear Susanna, Santana and her children had fled to the US.
“They were a big family. We would greet when we saw each other,” the neighbour said, declining to be named.
He said there was virtually no crime in the area.
“This area is pretty safe.
“The one incident I can recall is when they had the wheels of their bakkies stolen in 2023.”
Ward 18 councillor Gustav Rautenbach said there was no racial persecution in the area.
“It is not for me to comment on the reasons they left,” he said.
“I’m not aware of any incidents relating to that family. I didn’t even know there was a family in my ward that left.
“I sit monthly with the police station and other stakeholders, such as the neighbourhood watch, and have never received any complaint of a criminal case based on race.
“No-one has complained to me that they’re being persecuted or harassed based on race.”
Before leaving for the US, Santana worked as a receptionist at Heineken Beverages.
Her former colleagues said they were shocked when she handed in a resignation letter.
“She handed her resignation in on a Monday, and that weekend, flew to the US.”
Meanwhile, Debbie and Nicolaas have also left Gqeberha behind, with the last listed address in Greenbushes.
However, the property could not be located.
Another “refugee”, Jacqueline, made headlines this week when Newzroom Afrika reported on her relocation to the US.
They revealed her husband had been living in the US for some time.
Jacqueline lived in Rowallan Park.
The last known address for Desmond, Nianca and Maxine was at the same address.
Desmond worked as a mechanic in Walmer at LA Sport 4x4 Megastores.
His colleague, Jacques Scholtz, described him as a laid-back and friendly person who had mentioned he planned to resign to pursue an opportunity in the US.
“He was working just fine and then resigned about two months ago, saying that an opportunity had come up to go to the US,” he said.
Scholtz said the couple had a child and recently got married.
A neighbour of Jacqueline’s said someone else had moved into their house.
“Crime is a problem in this neighbourhood but it is not targeted at any specific race,” the neighbour said.
“On Friday, there was a black lady who was robbed of her cellphone and they stabbed her with a screwdriver in the leg.
“Just last week, they broke into our neighbour’s house during the day and stripped her of her cellphone and other belongings.
“Our neighbour just had hip surgery.”
He said the municipality failed to cut the grass, providing a hiding place for thieves.
“We’ve got CCTV cameras. But they can never catch the thieves.
“When we leave for weekend getaways, we watch over each other’s properties.
“That’s the kind of neighbours we are.”
The Herald
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