AfriForum says it is Ramaphosa who has sowed division in SA

AfriForum has responded to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s accusations that the organisation, together with trade union Solidarity, is “sowing division” in SA through their visit to the US.

The groups are in Washington to meet representatives of US President Donald Trump’s administration amid tension between SA and the US over land policies.

Ramaphosa criticised AfriForum and Solidarity’s visit, saying they should focus on solving SA’s problems internally rather than taking their grievances abroad.

“As proud South Africans, we prefer that we should all stay here and solve our problems. What they are doing is sowing divisions in our nation,” Ramaphosa said.

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said Ramaphosa’s accusations were “ironic”.

He accused Ramaphosa and the ANC leadership of “sowing division” with the implementation of contentious acts such as the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) and Expropriation acts, which AfriForum has opposed.

“It is Ramaphosa who signed the anti-Afrikaans Bela Act, an act that threatens the cultural existence of Afrikaans-speaking cultural communities. It is also Ramaphosa who signed the Expropriation Act. It is he who refuses to condemn slogans such as ‘kill the Boer’ and it is the same president who denies the existence of farm murders,” Kriel said.

He said his organisation and Solidarity had sent letters to the president about these issues and the tension with the US, but had not received a response.

“We will not be deterred. We will continue to fight for the interests of the country, and we will also fight unashamedly for the interests of Afrikaners. These statements only motivate us more to get our message out loud and clear.

“We are not going to be silenced by ‘cancel culture’ and we look forward to the future.”

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