Freedom Front Plus (FF+) leader Pieter Groenewald says "Ek is hier om te bly" (I am here to stay), rejecting US President Donald Trump's offer to relocate for refuge.

Addressing the State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate, Groenewald said he was not going to leave South Africa, despite Trump putting the spotlight on Afrikaners.

"South Africa belongs to all who live in it... The Afrikaner is part of the diversity. We want to rebuild... "Ek is hier om te bly" (I'm here to stay)," he said.

Addressing the SONA debate, Groenewald said it is up to the people if they wanted to take Trump's offer.

However, the Correctional Minister expressed concerns about illegal land grabs.

He added that it was true that expropriation of land with nil compensation would not solve the reform.

He further said Afrikaners' rights must be respected, and they want to work hard for themselves.

"We must make sure that we make South Africa so prosperous that people do not want to leave," he said.

This comes after Trump recently signed an executive order that halted foreign aid to South Africa and offered the resettlement of Afrikaners. The order claimed that Afrikaners in the country were facing racial discrimination and violence.

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act on January 23.

According to Trump, the new Act will lead to more discrimination and uncontrollable land grabs.

The matter made headlines internationally after AfriForum, a non-organisation group that focuses on the interests of Afrikaners, wrote to Trump's administration requesting a harsh punishment only of the ANC politicians.

The South African government has criticised the executive order, contending that it is based on misinformation and distortions.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

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