Ramaphosa stressed that government is fully aware of what has been described as “treasonous activities”.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has not ruled out the possibility of government taking action against lobby groups calling on the United States and President Donald Trump to act against South Africa’s racial laws and provide humanitarian assistance for Afrikaner development.
Afrikaner lobby groups, including Solidarity and AfriForum, met with senior Trump administration officials at the White House in February 2025 and delivered the “Washington Memorandum”.
Policies and farm murders
The memorandum focused on government policies, including the Expropriation Act and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE), which the groups argue threaten property rights and economic stability.
AfriForum and Solidarity urged the Trump administration to pressure the African National Congress-led government to amend the Expropriation Act.
Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Bill into law on 23 January 2025, setting new guidelines for land expropriation without compensation.
The Bill, which replaced the Expropriation Act of 1975, allows land expropriation without compensation if it’s in the public interest or for a public purpose.
Over the last few years, AfriForum has also lobbied for US support in dealing with farm murders and other government policies it claims have been marginalising those it represents.
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‘Treasonous activities’
Speaking on the sidelines of the ANC’s January 8 celebrations in the North West on Wednesday, Ramaphosa stressed that the government is fully aware of what has been described as “treasonous activities”.
“We continue to examine all matters very carefully and with due diligence and due process. So, you will realise that we are not, sort of, a type of government that acts outside due process. We act in terms of what the law prescribes, what due process requires, and what equity requires. So all those matters will be addressed.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa has not ruled out the possibility of government taking action against lobby group to calling on the US and President Donald Trump to act against South Africa’s racial laws. Vid: Supplied. @TheCitizen_News pic.twitter.com/6bVnuWKYWa
— Faizel Patel (@FaizelPatel121) January 8, 2026
High treason
In March 2025, the Hawks confirmed that it was investigating four case dockets of high treason linked to claims of a white genocide against farmers in the country.
While Hawks boss General Godfrey Lebeya did not mention the names of the organisations being investigated for high treason, it is believed they include Afrikaner lobby groups Solidarity and AfriForum.
‘Low blow’
Solidarity CEO, Dirk Hermann, in a post on X at the time, said the high treason charges are “ridiculous and have no basis and have no sleepless nights over it.”
“It is a low blow when a group (political party) without any political argument runs to a police station and lays charges of high treason.
“But what is even more worrying is the Hawks, who are actually going to investigate, while they know there are no grounds, this is a low point for democracy in South Africa,” Hermann said.
‘Not perturbed’
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel also echoed the same sentiment, saying they were not perturbed by complaints of high treason against the organisation, as the allegations were “baseless”.
“I will not be having any sleepless nights over this, as these complaints are baseless. If the state, however, goes ahead with this, it will make us stronger. It would confirm the point that there are ANC leaders who are abusing their power to govern against certain sections of the population.
“It’s also ludicrous because we have many ANC leaders implicated [in] corruption at the Zondo Commission, and the Hawks are not acting against them,” Kriel said.
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Treason charges
Legal minds have expressed varying views about whether the civil society organisation, AfriForum, should be charged with treason for lobbying for the isolation of South Africa by the United States.
Speaking to The Citizen previously, a Joburg-based advocate, Mzukisi Mgxashe, said AfriForum could be prosecuted under the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act regarding extra-territorial jurisdiction.
“In essence, if the communication, which is misleading and not truthful about the Expropriation Act, was conveyed by AfriForum and Solidarity, endangering the Republic, they could be prosecuted.”
However, Themba Langa, an attorney from Durban, said AfriForum’s action did not constitute treason as it was a trip to mobilise on behalf of the Afrikaner farmers it believed were being targeted for criminal political attacks.
“I don’t think the political mobilisation done by AfriForum constitutes treason as they went to the US to highlight the plight of Afrikaner farmers who they deemed to have been singled out for violent criminal attacks for political reasons,” Langa said.
US-SA tensions
Tensions between the US and South Africa (SA) have been simmering since 2025.
Trump singled out South Africa for harsh treatment on several issues since he returned to the White House in January, notably making debunked claims of white Afrikaners being systematically “killed and slaughtered” in the country.
Ambush
He ambushed Ramaphosa in the Oval Office in May 2025, playing a video in which he alleged a campaign against white farmers by the post-apartheid government.
During the same month, Trump offered Afrikaners refugee status; the first group of around 50 was flown to the US on a chartered plane.
In October, South Africa criticised the decision by the US to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide have been widely discredited and lack reliable evidence.
G20
Tensions between South Africa and the United States further escalated after the US boycotted the two-day G20 leaders’ Summit at Nasrec in Johannesburg in November 2025.
Trump said Pretoria would not be invited to the 2026 G20 Leaders Summit, which will be hosted in Miami, Florida.
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