Trump administration rolls red carpet for Afriforum while snubbing SA government’s events

WHILE an Afriforum and Solidarity delegation received a resounding welcome by some US diplomats from the President Donald Trump administration, the South African government could still not confirm nor deny securing a meeting with its US counterpart to iron out issues including its  stance on land expropriation without compensation among others. 

The delegation was led by Solidarity chairperson Flip Buys and head of International Liaison Jaco Kleynhans. 

They reportedly handed over a memorandum to the Trump administration requesting them to "expand its recognition of Afrikaners as a cultural community and to increase assistance to include support for the establishment of cultural infrastructure that enables them to live freely, safely, and prosperously in southern Africa".

The two organisations have been leading a misinformation campaign that has gained Trump's attention, who claimed without producing any evidence that land was being seized from certain groups of people. 

Their trip to the US comes as there are still sketchy details about a delegation that President Cyril Ramaphosa promised to appoint to travel to various capitals on the continent and across the world to clarify the country’s position on a number of contentious issues including land expropriation. 

He has announced the delegation would “interact with various key players on a variety of matters that affect South Africa’s interests”.

While the presidency did not respond to requests for comment on the matter, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola's spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said they would provide an update when they are in a position to do so.

The tense standoff between South Africa and the US was exacerbated by that country's Secretary of State Marco Rubio snubbing the meeting of G20 foreign ministers recently held in Johannesburg and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent not attending the G20 finance ministers meeting in Cape Town this week.

During his address yesterday, Ramaphosa said: “At this time of global uncertainty and escalating tension, it is now more important than ever that the members of the G20 work together. The erosion of multilateralism presents a threat to global growth and stability. We know from the experience of past decades that a fair, transparent and inclusive rules-based international order is an essential requirement for economic stability and for sustained growth. At this time of heightened geopolitical contestation, a rules-based order is particularly important as a mechanism for managing disputes and resolving conflict. It is vital to ensuring that the rights and interests of the vulnerable are not trampled beneath the ambitions of the powerful.” 

International Relations Director of Surgetower Associates Management Consultancy, Siseko Maposa said unless the diplomatic fallout is resolved quickly, “SA may need to brace itself for loss of preferential trade access to US markets through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)”. 

“Foreign policy effectiveness hinges on a sound modality of diplomacy, characterised by foresight and responsibility. Regrettably, in this matter, diplomacy has been Pretoria’s Achilles' heel. In the height of the crisis, I was critical of South Africa's public responses to Trump's misinformation about the Expropriation Act. The statements from the Presidency, the President, and DIRCO struck me as uncharacteristically undiplomatic. SA’s responses inadvertently played into Trump’s hands, widening the divide and lending credence to America's punitive stance towards our nation. Ideally, Pretoria should have maintained diplomatic composure by leveraging public and private channels, embassies, and protocols, rather than resorting to grandiose public statements that exacerbate divisions,” he said.

Cape Times