The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has stood firm on its call for tighter regulation of foreign-funded non-governmental organisations (NGOs), warning that several international advocacy groups are being used as “tools of Western intelligence” to undermine South Africa’s sovereignty and its position within BRICS.
This follows the Ukrainian Association of South Africa’s (UAZA) public denial of reports linking it to anti-BRICS demonstrations allegedly coordinated by UK-based advocacy group Crisis Action during the 2023 BRICS Summit.
UAZA told Sunday World that it “has never received money or direction from Crisis Action, nor participated in any anti-BRICS activities”.
The association, which represents Ukrainians living in South Africa, said its annual budget of just over R1-million comes from “membership fees, small donations, and community initiatives such as language classes and cultural events”.
Proxies for Western powers
In a response on foreign-funded NGOs and their impact on South Africa’s sovereignty, the EFF accused UAZA and similar organisations of acting as “proxies for Western powers and Ukrainian intelligence”.
“We categorically reject UAZA’s denial,” said EFF MP and former Ambassador Carl Niehaus. He authored the party’s response.
“These organisations, often parachuted into our country without grassroots support, are instruments of neo-colonialism. They advance NATO agendas and work to fracture BRICS unity under the guise of civil society activism.”
Niehaus said the EFF views the proliferation of foreign-funded NGOs as “a direct threat to South Africa’s independence”. He called for urgent legislative reforms to prevent what he described as “imperialist infiltration through soft power”.
Covertly recolonising Africa
“Foreign-funded advocacy groups act as extensions of Western intelligence agencies. The CIA, MI6, Mossad, and Ukraine’s GUR. All intent on recolonising Africa through covert influence,” he said. “Our call is not political opportunism but a genuine defence of national integrity and sovereignty.”
UAZA maintains that its collaboration with Crisis Action was limited to a 2022 Women’s Month art exhibition. The exhibition showcased Ukrainian women affected by war. However, the EFF insists that deeper coordination took place ahead of the BRICS Summit.
The party alleges that Western-backed entities have weaponised activism. They use it to influence South Africa’s foreign policy positions on issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Also on the Gaza genocide case before the International Court of Justice.
EFF Secretary-General Marshall Dlamini first raised the alarm in 2024. He called for strict oversight of NGOs operating in South Africa. And he warned against “unregulated foreign entities masquerading as local civil society.”
Threat to SA sovereignty
“These NGOs, parachuted into South Africa without grassroots support, are tools of Western imperialism that erode our independence and sovereignty,” Niehaus reiterated. “It is time our laws reflect that reality.”
Meanwhile, UAZA insists its mission remains purely humanitarian.
“We are proud to be part of South Africa’s vibrant civil society. And we fully comply with all local laws,” said UAZA representative Dzvinka Kachur. “Our mission is humanitarian, not political.”
It remains unclear whether UAZA was inadvertently drawn into last year’s demonstrations.
Questions still linger about who exactly coordinated the 2023 anti-BRICS protests. Observers have urged South Africa and it security agencies to thoroughly investigate any unlawful activities. To also investigate external interference that may have taken place.
