The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Azanian People’s Organisation (AZAPO) said president Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to the U.S was to sacrifice South African sovereignty and appease the Trump administration.
In separate media statements released on Thursday, May 22, both parties accuse Ramaphosa and his delegation of allowing Trump to steer the discussions about his claims of a genocide against white Afrikaner farmers, without countering him with evidenced crime statistics of South Africa.
Amongst the figures that accompanied Ramaphosa to the US include billionaire businessman Johan Rupert, prominent South African golfer Ernie Els, and DA leader John Steenhuisen, who’s an also a minister of Agriculture.
During the meeting at the Oval office, Trump ambushed his visitors with a collage of videos clips taken from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema’s various public addresses to back his purported claims of white genocide in South Africa.
In the videos displayed in front of the media with the lights turned off, it was Malema singing “Shoot the Boer [Afrikaner], Shoot the farmer” and a clip that showed a field of crosses claiming that it was a burial site of white farmers.
The claims have been widely discredited by the South African government and political parties.
In response, Ramaphosa said, “What you saw, the speeches that were made, that is not government policy, We have a multiparty democracy in South Africa that allows people to express themselves, political parties adhere to various policies. And many cases, or in some cases, those policies do not go along with government policy.
“Our government policy is completely against what he was saying even in the parliament and they are a small minority party, which is allowed to exist according to our constitution.”
AZAPO labelled the “genocide” narrative as a smokescreen and a deflection from historical injustices and ongoing economic disparities, which include land, that is largely in the hands of whites.
“AZAPO is cognisant of the impact of South Africa’s vocal support for Palestine on its relations with the United States, drawing on its own history of colonialism and apartheid to advocate for Palestinian rights.
“The South African government has consistently condemned Israeli actions in Gaza and the West Bank, calling for an end to occupation and human rights violations. This does not sit well with the U.S government, “ said Azapo national spokesperson Jabu Rakwena.
Rakwena has further called on the government to desist from negotiating with a cap in hand and appease the Americans at the expense of the inheritance, land and dignity of the citizens of South Africa.
The EFF claimed that the true intentions of the meeting was to lobby for Elon Musk’s Starlink to operate in South African, as revealed by Rupert, and to assure Trump that land expropriation bill could be compromised.
“The dominance of white male voices in the entire interaction, proves and vindicates the EFF that the delegation was one that sought to make assurances to Trump that the transformation agenda of South Africa is one that can be compromised on upon negotiation.
“All of the utterances by Ramaphosa’s delegation point to a devious plot to rekindle relations with a maniacal Trump administration by sacrificing our sovereignty at the alter of convenience,” said party spokesperson Sinawo Thambo.
The EFF spokesperson further revealed that they would oppose any compromising of the laws to allow Starlink to operate in South Africa. Starlink is a business venture by Musk, South African-born billionaire and Trump administration’s head of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
