ALABAMA, US - The United Nations defines a refugee as a person who has fled their country to escape conflict, violence or persecution, and seeks safety in another country.
South Africa is divided on whether a group of Afrikaners who recently left South Africa for the US, qualify as refugees.
The move has stirred controversy, with critics arguing it politicises the refugee system and ignores those fleeing war, famine, and persecution elsewhere.
Despite this development, most Afrikaner communities say they have no intention of leaving South Africa, insisting their future remains rooted here.
READ: DIRCO warns Afrikaners seeking refuge in US of challenges ahead
In an exclusive interview, Annika Larsen headed to Alabama to speak to one man who packed up his life, and said goodbye to his homeland forever.