Afrikaner visit to US an ‘attempt to sabotage’ Ramaphosa’s visit’ – Presidency

The Presidency has condemned the visit of the Freedom Front Plus and two other Afrikaner groups to the White House in the United States, claiming it was an attempt to “sabotage” President Cyril Ramaphosa’s meeting with his counterpart, Donald Trump.

The three Afrikaner representatives visited the White House in Washington this week to call for the normalisation of relations between South Africa and the US.

‘Pre-conditions’

According to the Afrikaner delegation, they discussed the pre-conditions for the normalisation of bilateral relations between the two countries.

These include the classification of farm attacks as a priority crime; a clear and unequivocal public condemnation by the ANC of the Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer – whether used in song or any other context-, and the exclusion of US entities from all broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) requirements.

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‘Sabotage’

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the visit was an attempt to “sabotage” Ramaphosa’s efforts to reset relations between South Africa, the US and President Donald Trump.

“We find this exercise quite disturbing. It’s an exercise that seeks to sabotage the enormous amount of work that President Cyril Ramaphosa has led to reset the relationship with the United States.

“It’s an exercise aimed at destabilising our economy as well as undermining our economic interests with the United States,” Magwenya said.

Farm murders  

While the Afrikaner delegation wants the US to make farm murders a priority crime, Magwenya said murder in the country is already a priority crime.

“Murder is already classified as a priority crime. Murder, across the board, wherever it occurs, in South Africa, is already classified as a priority crime. Not so long ago, Minister Mchunu, the Minister of Police, shared crime statistics and showed that there has been a significant reduction of all farm-related matters, and there is even a much lower number of murders that directly impact farmers”.

“The majority of victims of farm murders are farm dwellers, and so this continuing rationalisation of this issue is most unfortunate,” Magwenya told eNCA.

‘Not racial or Afrikaner issue’

Magwenya added that President Cyril Ramaphosa has committed to looking at murders broadly, putting more resources into dealing with murders.

“The president is also committed to revisiting what we are doing as a government in dealing with rural safety, which will then impact all communities in rural areas, farmers and non-farmers alike.

“So we need to be cautious not to use what is an important problem that we must resolve, and use it to divide the country or polarise the country along racial lines. It’s not a racial issue. It’s not an Afrikaner issue”.

Trump meeting

Ramaphosa met with Trump last month. He was joined by four ministers, renowned businessman Johann Rupert and golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.

Trump proved to be a political rottweiler for Afrikaners and white farmers and shifted the focus from what began as a cordial discussion with Ramaphosa to farm attacks in South Africa, ambushing the president.

Ramaphosa said he and his delegation went to Washington to meet with Trump in the Oval Office to establish a “basis for greater economic cooperation and to address some of the challenges” that have recently arisen in relations between our two countries.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Donald Trump ambushes Cyril Ramaphosa in Oval Office