WATCH: AfriForum ‘not having sleepless nights’ over allegations of high treason

AfriForum says it is not perturbed by complaints of high treason against the organisation as the allegations are “baseless”.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is set to decide if there is a case of high treason against Afrikaner lobby groups AfriForum and Solidarity.

High treason

On Monday, Hawks boss Godfrey Lebeya confirmed that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) is investigating four case dockets of high treason linked to claims of a white genocide against farmers in the country.

AfriForum and Solidarity presented the allegations to US President Donald Trump’s administration, handing over the “Washington Memorandum” asking the United States to provide humanitarian assistance for Afrikaner development.

The groups urged Trump to continue applying pressure on the government.

“This includes safety structures, social structures, job structures, training structures and infrastructure to settle Afrikaners in a concentrated manner,” the memo read.

Watch the video of AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel

AfriForum has stated it is not having any “sleepless nights” by complaints of high treason against the organisation as the allegations are “baseless”. Video: Kallie Kriel #AfriForum #Solidarity #HighTreason #DonaldTrump @TheCitizen_News pic.twitter.com/WZaRRdu922

— 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) March 4, 2025

ALSO READ: AfriForum hits back at Ramaphosa’s sowing divisions remarks: ‘We will not be deterred’

‘No sleepless nights’

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel, in a post on X, said they are not worried about the high treason charges against them as they are “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 of corruption at the Zondo Commission, and the Hawks are not acting against them,” Kriel said.

Court battle

Kriel stated he did not mind going to court.

“If AfriForum has to be in court, it would also of course give us a platform to show the world and to show the country how the ANC leaders are acting against the interests of the country, they are disloyal.

ALSO READ: AfriForum, Solidarity meet with top Trump officials [VIDEO]

“AfriForum, Solidarity and the Solidarity Movement are loyal because we are fighting for the interests of the South African people.”

Political analyst Piet Croucamp said bringing charges would be “telling the Americans that the Afrikaners are extensively persecuted”.

Croucamp said he was unaware of any legislation prohibiting anyone from seeking to influence policy.

Treason a serious charge in any country

Political analyst Roland Henwood said treason was a serious charge in any country.

“At issue are different interpretations of interests and of a direct and existential threat to national security. It must be balanced against the constitutional provision of South Africa being an open and democratic society with entrenched freedoms and rights,” he said.

Henwood said the history of South Africa also carries examples of the negative outcomes as a result of using treason as cover for political decisions.

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Free State farmer Tewie Wessels, who has been vocal in advocating for the Afrikaners and was among the group that marched to the US embassy last month, said there were much worse crimes committed by the ANC and they are not prosecuted.

“What AfriForum tried to inform Washington will now be proven precisely by the complaints of treason,” he said.

“As far as I know, they did not enter the country illegally or did anything illegal, they asked for sanctions to be put in place against the ANC’s corrupt leaders,” he said.

Investigation by NPA not a good idea

Wessels said he wasn’t sure if the investigation by the NPA was a good idea because it would show that AfriForum was right should they get prosecuted.

“There is no merit to the case, but if the police and the judiciary are biased and take sides, AfriForum may be in trouble,” he said.

ALSO READ: WATCH: ‘High treason charges ridiculous and baseless,’ says Solidarity

Freedom Front Plus leader Corné Mulder said the charge runs counter to sound legal principles.

“The ANC should in no way be allowed to claim the sole right to convey its own biased message to the world about the state of affairs in South Africa,” he said.

Mulder said the Zondo commission clearly showed that the ANC covered up state capture, with the help of the National Assembly for years.

“So, the Hawks should rather start their investigation there if the government is at all serious about taking action against conduct bordering on high treason,” said Mulder.

“The charge against AfriForum is ludicrous and it is unacceptable that the Hawks, tasked with more than enough of its own important work, has to waste time on conducting politically motivated investigations.”

‘Sowing divisions’

Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa slammed AfriForum and Solidarity’s visit to Washington amid the ongoing tension between South Africa and the US.

“What they are doing has spawned divisions in our nation, and that is not a nation-building process — running around the world trying to have your problems solved.

“You are just sowing divisions because now a number of South Africans then start looking at others negatively, and I don’t think that is the right way to handle our problems,“ Ramaphosa told journalists after speaking at an education lekgotla in Boksburg, Gauteng, on Thursday.

However, Kriel defended the visit, asserting that the organisations’ trip was driven by frustrations with the South African government’s refusal to address their concerns.

Trump order

Last month, Trump halted funding to South Africa by signing an executive order against the country, alleging human rights issues in response to the government’s land policy.

Trump’s advisor, Elon Musk, who was born and raised in South Africa, has also criticised the South African government and claimed it has been anti-white for years, although some have questioned his motivations.

ALSO READ: These countries have pledged support for South Africa amid Trump criticism [VIDEO]