Mashatile says Trump must come see ‘happy’ SA
Deputy President Paul Mashatile hopes that US President Donald Trump will accept an invitation from President Cyril Ramaphosa to visit South Africa.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Africa Travel Indaba in Durban on Tuesday, Mashatile said the government wants to dispel claims of a genocide being committed against Afrikaners in South Africa.
His comments come as 49 Afrikaners arrived in the United States on Monday night.
Trump granted them refugee status earlier this year, claiming that they are victims of racial discrimination.
However, Mashatile says he's been given the wrong picture.
" He will invite President Trump to come here so that he can see our beautiful country and see that there is no genocide here. We are beautiful, happy people, black and white, working and living together. So I hope he will accept the invitation to come because I think he's being lied to."
At the same time, the African National Congress said the group has no legitimate claim to refugee status.
" These claims are a fabrication and a cowardly political construct designed to delegitimise our democracy and insult the sacrifices made by generations who fought for freedom. The misuse of refugee protections to shield right-wing anti-transformation elements is a violation of the spirit and letter of international law," says the party's national spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu.
