AfriForum and Solidarity call for ‘sustained pressure’ on ‘arrogant’ SA government during US trip

Afrikaner rights group AfriForum and the Solidarity movement have told Washington they are considering President Donald Trump's offer for white Afrikaners to resettle in US, claiming the government led by President Cyril Ramaphosa has “arrogantly refused to negotiate”.  

The groups said they sent a delegation to Washington after Trump's executive orders against SA in the interests of Afrikaners specifically and regular South Africans.

During this week's trip to Washington, the two organisations falsely stated the brutality and frequency of farm murders compared to other murders in the country was very high. 

This contradicts the recent crime stats released by police minister Senzo Mchunu.

According to 2024/25 third quarter crime stats, out of 6,953 reported murders, 12 farm murders were recorded. These included a farmer, five farm dwellers, four employees, a security guard and one individual who was not specified.

Despite the numbers, the organisations' memorandum presented to Trump's administration stated farm murders have hit the Afrikaner community hard. 

“The community is particularly exposed to a government that expropriates without compensation while also being exposed to land grabs and land occupation as well as calls for violence against them that are made publicly without any repercussions for those spreading hate against Afrikaners. Racial legislation also actively discriminates against this community. Racial discrimination is not limited to this group as it includes white South Africans in general and other minorities,” they said. 

However, the Expropriation Act indicates an expropriating authority may not expropriate property arbitrarily or for a purpose other than a public purpose or in the public interest.

It states expropriation may not be exercised unless the expropriating authority has without success attempted to reach an agreement with the owner or holder of a right in property for the acquisition thereof on reasonable terms.

An expropriating authority is therefore obliged to enter into negotiations with the owner of a property required for such purposes.

“An expropriating authority must also attempt to reach an agreement on the acquisition of the property before resorting to expropriation, except in circumstances where the right to use property temporarily is taken on an urgent basis in terms of a provision in the legislation. The law provides for disputes to be referred for mediation or to appropriate courts,” the act states. 

In a 2020 legal battle between the SA Human Rights Commission and Others v City of Cape Town and Others, the courts confirmed municipalities have a legal remedy to respond to land-grabbing in their jurisdictions. The judgment warned municipalities to uphold the rule of law when they repossess property from unlawful occupiers. 

A report by the Dullah Omar Institute stated land grabbers are mostly poor people in desperate need of housing. The report said challenges of unemployment, food insecurity, homelessness and slow progress in the provision of housing and land has arguably contributed to the land grab crisis confronting local government. 

“The possibility of resettlement through the US refugee admissions programme and possible humanitarian aid are being considered and we have appreciation for the Trump administration's inclusion of these matters in the executive order. Though individuals may qualify for a resettlement programme and make use of this generous offer, most Afrikaners will remain in SA,” the minority rights groups said. 

The organisations told the Trump administration that despite governments laws, they can live safely and freely in SA, adding attempts were being made to establish a place to resettle the Afrikaner group through Solidarity. 

They recommended to the Trump administration that aid be provided to an Afrikaner development fund to assist with community infrastructure protecting Afrikaners.

The groups called for the US to mount pressure on government to declare farmer murders a priority crime and to action against those calling for violence against Afrikaners.

They have called for government to revise the Bela Act, Expropriation Act and legislation they said discriminates on the basis of race. 

The delegation to the US included AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel, Solidarity's chairperson Flip Buys, Dr Dirk Hermann and Jaco Kleynhans. 

The memorandum titled Diplomatic Mission to the USA praises Trump for having “rightly spoken out strongly against SA's domestic and foreign policies that seriously harm minorities in SA”, claiming the policies also pose a threat to US national security interests. 

The organisations claimed the ANC placed the blame for Trump's executive order at their door and denied their role in the “weakening of diplomatic relations”.

They said charges of treason were laid against them supported by the ANC. 

“The relationship between SA and the US  benefits SA disproportionately. SA has extremely favorable terms of trade with the US, runs a large annual trade surplus with the US, and receives billions in humanitarian and other aid.”

Solidarity said it shares the Trump administration's concerns about government's foreign policies, specially with regard to Israel, China, Iran, Russia, Rwanda and Taiwan. 

It recommended the pressure on SA be sustained, but said the focus must be on pressuring the ANC, and said the capacity of civil society and private sectors standing for a free market investor-friendly economy should be strengthened. 

They called for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) to be extended, and said as an alternative to the exclusion of SA, punitive measures be directed at senior ANC leaders, corrupt individuals and those siding with international terrorist organisations.

“If SA is no longer included in Agoa, alternative agreements and methods be found that could soften the blow on individual farmers, manufacturing businesses and ordinary citizens who would suffer the most because of the negative consequences of the irresponsible action and policies of the government while the politicians responsible will be affected the least.”

TimesLIVE