The MK party opened a case of treason against AfriForum at the Cape Town Central Police Station on Monday. Seen here is MK party deputy president John Hlophe. Picture: X/@insightfactor
The uMkhonto weSizwe party (MK) says AfriForum’s actions in lobbying for the United States’ intervention in the Land Expropriation Act is “an act of economic sabotage”.
Jacob Zuma’s party opened a case of treason against AfriForum at the Cape Town Central Police Station on Monday.
The lobby group is facing mounting backlash after allegedly misleading US President Donald Trump on land and race policies, resulting in Trump cutting off aid to South Africa.
The group has denied this, blaming ANC leaders and the government for what is happening in the country.
Former Western Cape judge and incumbent MK party deputy president John Hlophe told journalists outside the police station the party vehemently condemned the “treasonous actions of AfriForum”.
“Their betrayal is nothing less than an act of economic sabotage, a direct assault on our nation’s independence and a dangerous attempt to undermine the will of the people.”
Hlophe added that AfriForum’s direct appeal to a foreign government, which has resulted in economic retaliation against South Africa, aligns with many legal precedents.
“AfriForum has a long and disgraceful history of opposing South Africa’s democratic transformation, shielding the racist economic interests of the privileged European settler elite while disregarding the suffering of the oppressed majority.
“Their latest act of treachery – lobbying the US government to impose punitive economic measures on South Africa – is a deliberate attempt to weaken our state through external pressure,“ Hlophe said.
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Hlophe stressed that AfriForum had declared itself an “enemy of the South African people”.
“Their divisive and anti-democratic agenda can no longer be tolerated,” he said. The MK Party will continue to defend the interests of the people and hold accountable all who seek to sell out our nation.”
Trump signed an executive order against the country last week.
The order, which alleges human rights issues in South Africa, was issued in response to South Africa’s land policy that it claims allows the government to “seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation” and SA’s genocide case against US ally Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Trump’s executive order, signed on Friday, also grants refugee status to Afrikaners.
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said the charges were “absurd and will not cause sleepless nights”.
“It is the duty of civil society and organisations such as AfriForum to shine a light on legislation and actions that threaten the welfare of citizens and the country. We cannot keep quiet about the injustice that is being committed at the expense of South Africa, its citizens and the South African economy.
“False allegations that AfriForum has spread ‘misleading information’ about the Expropriation Act and that this is the reason for the USA’s action against South Africa are blatant lies,” said Kriel.
Kriel said AfriForum has constantly highlighted the facts, as contained in the Expropriation Act signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa himself.
“The ANC’s reckless and radical domestic and foreign policies are the real reason for the unstable relations with the USA and the USA’s recent actions against South Africa. Their action against the interests of the citizens of the country is evident in, among other things, state capture and other corruption, as already pointed out by the Zondo Commission and the failure of the criminal justice system to act accordingly against individuals who are responsible for state capture and other transgressions.
“It is moreover hypocritical and ironic that it is Jacob Zuma, the leader of the MKP, who, in his time as president of the country, was responsible for state capture, is now the leader of the party to bring in a charge of treason against AfriForum,” said Kriel.
Cape Town police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut confirmed that a “case of high treason” was registered at Cape Town Central police station on Monday, adding: “The circumstances are under police investigation. The identities of the parties concerned cannot be disclosed to the media.”
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