President Cyril Ramaphosa responds to questions for oral reply in the National Assembly in Parliament. Ramaphosa updated Parliament on, among other developments, South Africa’s approach to international relations to strengthen diplomatic and economic relations.
Image: Jairus Mmutle/GCIS
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa once again took a swipe at lobby groups Afriforum and Solidarity, falling short of characterising their misinformation campaign against the country as treasonous, saying it was up to law enforcement agencies to decide.
“I regard that as being non-patriotic because when you are a patriot of a country, the best you do is resolve problems or issues you have in country rather than beginning to damage the sovereignty of your country by running to other countries and expecting them to take action against your own country,” Ramaphosa said.
He was responding to oral questions in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
The Hawks have already confirmed that they were seized with investigating four dockets against the two groups following their campaign aimed at spreading lies about the country’s land and property rights policies.
Ramaphosa too blamed Afriforum and Solidarity, saying what they had done had instigated the actions now being taken against the people of South Africa following US President Donald Trump’s executive orders to terminate the President’s Emergency Plan for Aid Relief (Pepfar).
Trump has since offered white Afrikaners refugee status in the US as the impasse over South Africa’s expropriation policy escalated, with AfriForum claiming there was a white genocide in the country.
Ramaphosa said the issue of whether the two organisations had committed treason was a matter for law enforcement agencies and the National Prosecuting Authority to look at.
“I take a dim view, in fact a negative view of what ensues as they run around the world bad-mouthing their country, putting their country in disrepute not by things that are happening but by misinformation.”
“What they seek to do is to spread racist statements about their own country when we are involved in building a nation. I am hugely disappointed and take a dim view of what Afriforum and Solidarity have done.”
Asked about measures the government has put in place to maintain a positive relationship with the US towards growing the economy and creating jobs, as the US is the second-largest trading partner and the fourth largest investor in South Africa, Ramaphosa said South Africa maintains active engagement with the US through political, diplomatic and economic channels.
Ramaphosa also said he had a telephone call with Trump after his election to congratulate him and reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to strengthen relations between the two countries.
He said South African Ambassador to the US, Ibrahim Rasool, as an envoy was on the ground engaging various stakeholders to underscore the importance of deepening economic, political and cultural relations between these two historic partners.
He confirmed that he still plans to send envoys to the US as well as other countries in Africa and the world in line with his undertaking during the State of the Nation Address.
“In time we will be able to send envoys that should go and they will do so under the rubric of advancing our foreign policy.”
He insisted that foreign policy was the preserve of the executive.“Rest assured that we will be following through the mandate we have in terms of our constitution to ensure that what we do in relation to other countries, advances the interest of South Africa and the executive,” Ramaphosa said.
Cape Times