Australia minister wants visas for ‘persecuted’ Afrikaners

South Africa has rebuked an Australian minister for suggesting that white farmers were being persecuted and ought to be granted asylum to a “civilised country”.

Peter Dutton, Australia’s immigration minister, said that visas should be fast-tracked on humanitarian grounds for those threatened by farm attacks. He also criticised President Ramaphosa’s plans to accelerate redistribution of farmland to the black majority without compensation.

Commenting on a documentary about rural crime in South Africa, Mr Dutton said that white farmers faced “horrific” circumstances and needed special attention from abroad. “From the information I’ve seen, people do need help and they need help from a civilised country like ours,” he said.

South Africa’s foreign ministry dismissed the suggestion of special visas and said that there was no reason…