The ANC has accused AfriForum of disseminating “misinformation” about South Africa’s land reform programme.
This has resulted in US President Donald Trump threatening to stop funding South Africa while the land reform issue is being looked into, according to ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri.
In a media statement issued Monday afternoon, Bhengu-Motsiri maintained that AfriForum’s false information about “land confiscation” was the source of Trump’s baseless accusations.
She believes the group’s campaign is an attempt to deceive the international community and preserve apartheid-era land ownership patterns.
“AfriForum has long positioned itself as a defender of white minority privilege, using fear mongering to undermine South Africa’s constitutional and lawful land reform programme,” said Bhengu-Motsiri.
“Their campaign is not about justice but about blocking economic transformation and maintaining an oppressive status quo.
“AfriForum’s lobbying efforts in the US and other countries have deliberately misrepresented South Africa’s Expropriation Act, which is a fair constitutional mechanism aimed at reversing historical land dispossession.”
Commitment to engage with international partners
She claimed that by disseminating misleading information, AfriForum has incited some individuals who are quick to repeat racist ideas but do not comprehend South Africa’s democracy.
AfriForum’s persistent requests for outside intervention in a sovereign nation’s policies, which she claimed are necessary to address the unjust land dispossession brought about by colonialism and apartheid, are unacceptable, she said.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to engaging with international partners on issues of mutual interest.
“However, the ANC will not tolerate racist distortions aimed at undermining our national sovereignty and transformation agenda.
“We call on all progressive forces, both locally and globally, to reject AfriForum’s divisive agenda and stand with South Africa in its pursuit of justice, equity, and meaningful land reform.”
Julius Malema, the leader of the EFF, also denounced Trump’s action, saying that his remarks were disrespectful and weakened national sovereignty.
“We want to make it categorically clear to the president of the USA that we are going to expropriate land without compensation and pursue legislative measures to do so, and no threat will stop us,” Malema said.
