SA’s R50 million donation to Cuba just the tip of R350 million iceberg, says AfriForum

Civil rights organisation AfriForum has revealed that the planned R50 million donation to Cuba by the South African government is nothing but pocket change compared to the full planned donation they hope to make.

The organisation on Monday said that the actual amount of money that would be donated to Cuba is a staggering R350, million with the R50 million simply being the first of several instalments.

AfriForum said that it has obtained this information from the court records as part of its review application.

In a statement, AfriForum said that the South African government has agreed to a contract with the government of Cuba in terms of “which the R50 million will only be the first payment in the more than a quarter-billion rand.

“AfriForum’s legal team is preparing its supplementary affidavit following receipt of the court record for its review application.”

Reiner Duvenage, Campaign Officer for strategy and content at AfriForum said that these revealations were “truly earth-shattering”.

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“It is now clear that the government is actually planning on donating more than a quarter-billion rand to Cuba.”

He said that this contract to donate R350 million was not in accord with the laws, and described the move as “completely irrational to make such an exorbitant donation in these difficult times”.

“Our government borrows money from the IMF, but then sees it fit to donate much-needed funds to Cuba.

“Despite this outrageous news, AfriForum is more optimistic than ever that we will succeed in stopping this donation,” explained Duvenage.

AfriForum drew first blood back in March when it successfully managed to interdict the donation.

Judge J Neukircher of the High Court in Gauteng Division in Pretoria found that Cuba had not asked for funds, but humanitarian aid in the form of medical supplies and food.  

 Last week the same court rejected a leave to appeal application lodged by the Department of International Relations and Cooperations against said interdict.

Duvenage questioned why government was so desperate to make the donation that it even moved to appeal an interim interdict, in a move he has since described as “bizarre”.

• This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.