President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned AfriForum against creating divisions in the country by seeking intervention from the United States government on South African policies.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Education Lekgotla in Boksburg, Johannesburg, Ramaphosa responded to reports that AfriForum and other groups had met with representatives of the US Executive, urging them to pressure the African National Congress (ANC) to change its policies.
Ramaphosa says, “We need to be sending a clear message to them that as far as we are concerned, as proud South Africans, we prefer that we should all stay here and solve our problems. Already, what they are doing has spawned divisions in our nation. That is not a nation-building process—running around the world trying to have your problems solved.”
“You are just sowing divisions because then a number of South Africans start looking at others negatively, and I don’t think that is the right way to handle our problems.”
VIDEO | Ramaphosa addresses Education Lekgotla
AfriForum, along with Solidariteit and the Solidarity Movement, met with representatives of the Trump administration in Washington to discuss concerns about the ANC’s governance.
The group has raised issues regarding the Expropriation Act, the BELA Act, and crimes against white farmers.
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel defended the discussions, saying the concerns were taken seriously by the US officials.
“We had a constructive discussion, and it is taken seriously, but not simply with regard to what we tell them. The fact is they have a state department, they have an embassy in SA, and the feedback we got is that they have been following what the ANC leaders and ANC government are doing in SA, and they are worried about that…”
“Also, they have given examples with regard to South Africa’s links with Hamas, their links with Iran, and a number of other issues. Worries about expropriation and their disrespect for property rights,” says Kriel.
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