'I am an Afrikaner', with Adriaan Basson

Loading player...
Whatever you’d like to call them; the “49ers”, the “Amerikaners”, the “Afrikaner refugees”, they’ve officially discarded Madiba’s Rainbow Flag for Eisenhower’s Stars and Stripes. Their departure, facilitated by the Trump administration, has generated intense debate over the Afrikaners’ place in this world. But for News24 editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson, two things have never been more crystal clear. One is that he’s certain of his heritage: “I consider myself an Afrikaner. I identify as an Afrikaner. Firstly, I’m a South African,” says Basson. And two is that he’s not a refugee. “We can discuss ultimately what led to these Afrikaners leaving South Africa now but Afrikaners are not refugees, Afrikaners belong in South Africa, this is our home, this where we’re from,” adds Basson. You can listen to the full 24-minute conversation by simply clicking on any of the links displayed here. You can read Basson’s opinion piece here. Later in the show, host Graeme Raubenheimer reveals that the US Episcopal Church refuses to resettle the “Amerikaners”. And finally, in true Mzansi style, our comedians teach the world a lesson or two about load shedding.Mail your comments and voice notes to thelead@24.com. Editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube.  
Chapters
  • 00:01 Graeme's intro
  • 01:55 Interview with Adriaan Basson
  • 25:32 Trending topic: US church refuses Amerikaner resettlement
  • 26:48 And finally: Global load shedding advice
  • 28:10 Graeme's outro
13 May 2025 English South Africa News · Society & Culture

Other recent episodes

Hear from new NPA boss, and the summit births two jobs

On Day Two of News24’s On The Record jobs summit, we weigh the severe toll crime and corruption have taken on the state of South Africa, and hear from our new National Prosecuting Authority head, advocate Andy Mothibi, with News24’s investigations editor, Pieter du Toit. Later in the show, let…
20 Mar 34 min

On The Record: Hear job insights from Paton, Ramaphosa, Manuel, Kieswetter

We're a country of around 65 million people. Now, if you consider the expanded definition of unemployment in South Africa, which is nearly 43%, this equates to 12.4 million people of age who simply cannot find work right now. Of this figure, 3.7 million people in this country today are…
19 Mar 31 min

Commission continued: Same name, different stories, one rampant police crisis

From Pretoria to Parliament: we hear from two Fannies in the SAPS this Tuesday. One, a sergeant, Fannie Nkosi, who claims that national deputy top cop Shadrack Sibiya did accept gifts from alleged criminal Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala. And two, national top cop, Fannie Masemola, who insists to MPs that he…
17 Mar 32 min

98 then 94, now 97% complete! Will Jozi’s forensic super lab finally open?

It's meant to revolutionise the processing time it takes to crack critical criminal cases in Gauteng. But no, Mr Panyaza Lesufi, claiming that the long-delayed forensic pathology lab in Johannesburg is a “win” during your administration feels hollow, given that it was meant to open seven years ago. Just ask…
16 Mar 20 min