‘Events beyond our shores should not divide us’ — Ramaphosa

As South Africa navigates uncharted waters with the United States (US), President Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africans “should not allow events beyond our shores to divide us or turn us against each other”.

Relations between the US and South Africa are at an all-time low after US President Donald Trump cut financial aid to South Africa, citing Pretoria taking Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and “strengthening ties with Iran, which supports terrorism globally”.

SA-US tensions

Tensions between the two countries were further heightened following former South African ambassador to the US Ebrahim Rasool’s recent remarks on Trump.

Rasool was expelled by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio after he claimed in a webinar that US President Trump (and, later, Elon Musk) are leading a global white supremacist movement.

ALSO READ: WATCH: ‘I will wear my persona non grata as a badge of dignity,’ says expelled Rasool

‘False narratives of SA’

In his weekly newsletter on Monday, “From the desk of the president,” Ramaphosa took a swipe at AfriForum and Solidarity’s recent visit to Washington, where they met officials from Trump’s administration to request they put pressure on the South African government and ask for humanitarian assistance for Afrikaner development.

Ramaphosa said in South Africa, all citizens, African, white, Indian and coloured, male and female, “enjoy equal rights and freedoms that the state is obliged to uphold, protect and advance”.

 “In South Africa today, there are constitutional protections guaranteed to all racial, cultural and linguistic groups, including their right to enjoy their culture and to use their language.

“As South Africans, we should, therefore, reject the politics of divisiveness that is emerging in many parts of the world. In particular, we should challenge the completely false narrative that our country is a place in which people of a certain race or culture are being targeted for persecution,” Ramaphosa said.

ALSO READ: WATCH: AfriForum went to Washington to gossip about SA – Mufamadi

Human rights

Ramaphosa added that since the end of apartheid, the country has been recognised globally for upholding human rights.

“The free flow of ideas and opinions are vital to democracy and to having a vibrant society.

 “Even those with the most offensive views should know that in democratic South Africa, and unlike many other parts of the world, our Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of expression, as long as it does not include incitement to violence or advocacy of racial and other hatred, Ramaphosa said.

Solidarity

Ramaphosa said that since the country attained freedom, “South Africans have been steadfast in our solidarity with peoples everywhere who are facing persecution, discrimination and the violation of their rights.”

“Human rights are universal and indivisible. As South Africa, we stand in solidarity with all those whose right to lead lives of dignity are being undermined by conflict and war”.

ALSO READ: Trump offers white South African farmers expedited US citizenship