By Akani Nkuna
South Africans who want to take up US President Donald Trump’s offer to resettle in that country are free to leave, according to Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshasvheni.
This follows AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel and leaders of the Solidarity Movement and the Solidarity trade union meeting senior leaders in the US administration this week over their concerns on the new land and education laws which they believe target white Afrikaners.
The delegation handed over a memorandum to US officials on Monday night over their concerns with recommendations. They are also in the US to plead with the country not to cut South Africa out of the African Growth and Opportunity Act when it is renewed next year.
Many of the farmers, who Trump is claiming to protect, will be negatively impacted if the Act is not renewed.
Responding to questions following the Cabinet lekgotla, Ntshasvheni said on Thursday that she did not understand “why they continue to go and peddle lies, but we are not going to make some peacetime heroes”.
“If they don’t like South Africa so much and the South African government so much, why don’t they take President Donald Trump’s offer to resettle in the United States. I think we need to leave it there,” she said.
The delegation said on Thursday that following discussions with senior members of the US Congress and earlier talks with Trump administration officials at the White House, the US government was increasingly growing frustrated with South Africa’s foreign policy which could lead to severe economic repercussions.
Solidarity Movement chairperson Flip Buys said that “it seems that the South African government does not realise the seriousness of the situation”.
“They are looking for scapegoats, believing that the current situation is just a diplomatic misunderstanding.
“In reality, this is a diplomatic crisis, but the ANC insists that they will not be bullied. The levels of frustration in the USA are so high that a bill is being considered to review the bilateral relations between the USA and South Africa,” he said in a statement.
“The Solidarity Movement has requested members of the Senate and the House of Representatives to recommend to the American President that South African remains a member of Agoa… there is also a request to sustain the political pressures on South Africa to bring about policy change,” Buys added.
Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters has warned that AfriForum’s call for the US to get involved in South Africa’s legal affairs was a risk to the country’s national sovereignty and democracy.
It said the approach weakened the country’s autonomy and violated established international principles protecting the nation’s rights to govern itself without unwarranted external influence.
“For AfriForum to call for a foreign country to apply pressure in order to change certain laws is anti-democratic and interferes with the long-established international principles of non-interference in domestic affairs of sovereign nations,” EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said in a statement.
“We call on the so-called GNU to designate AfriForum and Solidarity Movement as domestic terrorists organisations actively working against the interests of the republic by spreading lies and misinformation across borders.
“Their actions are a direct threat to the stability and sovereignty of South Africa, and must be treated as such.”
The EFF also criticised the Trump administration for not engaging diplomatically with the South Africans government, accusing the US of encouraging lawlessness promoted by AfriForum.
“For Trump to continue making ill-informed decisions exposes the narrow political views that he holds as an individual and his complete disregard for diplomatic relations between the US and South Africa, by failing to engage his counterparts.
“His administration’s willingness to entertain the treasonous demands of AfriForum and Solidarity Movement speaks volumes about their shared reactionary and racist agenda,” Thambo added.
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