Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned civil rights group AfriForum for spreading misinformation about South Africa during their visit to the United States, calling their actions “unpatriotic” and damaging to the country’s reputation.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Ramaphosa expressed disappointment over AfriForum’s conduct, especially as US President Donald Trump recently made negative remarks about South Africa.
He emphasised the need to address domestic challenges locally, rather than seeking intervention abroad.
“I have expressed my concern and my disappointment at what AfriForum and Solidarity have been doing in spreading misinformation about their own country in the US and I regard that as being unpatriotic.
“Because when you’re a patriot of a country, the best you do is to resolve the problems or issues you have in your country, rather than begin to damage the sovereignty of your country by running off to other countries and expecting them to take action against your own country,” Ramaphosa said.
The president reaffirmed his plan to send envoys to the US to counter the misleading narratives and work with Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool to set the record straight.
He also suggested that it was up to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to determine if AfriForum and Solidarity’s actions could be deemed treasonous.
“The fact whether that it is treasonous or not is a matter that, obviously, our law enforcement agencies need to look at. The National Prosecuting Authority needs to look at that. But I take a dim view — in fact a very negative view — of what has ensued as they run around the world badmouthing their own country, putting their country into disrepute.”
Ramaphosa’s comments follow a series of actions by the US against South Africa, including withdrawing funding from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar) and key figures like US State Secretary Marco Rubio skipping South Africa’s G20 events.
AfriForum’s recent visit to the United States added further tension to South Africa’s already strained relationship with the global superpower.
President Donald Trump, who last week reiterated his claim that “bad things” were happening in South Africa. His remarks have fueled concerns about the potential diplomatic and economic repercussions of AfriForum’s lobbying efforts abroad.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
