AfriForum ‘not to blame’ for SA-US tensions
AfriForum has reiterated its belief that the ANC must take the blame for the diplomatic tensions between South Africa and the United States.
US President Trump asserted this week that South Africa was "confiscating" land via an expropriation act signed last month, a charge the government denies and has described as "misinformation".
The US leader, who is advised by South Africa-born Elon Musk, also accused Pretoria of "treating certain classes of people very badly" and threatened to cut funding to the country.
The act signed by Ramaphosa last month stipulates that the government may, in some circumstances, offer "nil compensation" for property it decides to seize in the public interest. This led to Ramaphosa using his State of the Nation Address on Thursday to say that South Africa “will not be bullied”.
The lobby group’s CEO, Kallie Kriel told a media briefing on Friday that they believe Trump is justified to question the government’s “disregard” for property rights, as well as minorities in South Africa being treated “very badly”.
Many have pointed to AfriForum’s international campaign against the Expropriation Act and farm murders as a contributing factor to Trump’s stance.
However, Kriel said South Africans cannot blame the organisation for Trump’s actions.
“To say AfriForum has spread misinformation, and now this is why the US is angry is ludicrous. AfriForum is not to blame. I state it again, the ANC is to blame, Ramaphosa, the ANC and its leadership.
“The comments we made in regard to the Expropriation Act, it doesn’t make sweeping statements that there is now large-scale expropriation going on at the moment. We said we are worried about Section 12(3) of the Act, which says ‘expropriate without compensation’. Nothing about that is misinformation.
“When the section speaks about when expropriation can happen, it just gives four reasons. The examples are including but do not exclude anything else. It is open-ended.”
Kriel added that the signing of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act is one of the reasons why minorities in the country are being “treated badly”, as Trump stated.
“The BELA Act specifically threatens the continued existence of Afrikaans-speaking cultural communities by targeting Afrikaans schools,” he said.
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