By Johnathan Paoli
The ANC has launched a scathing attack on AfriForum and its chief executive Kallie Kriel, accusing the civil society organisation of orchestrating a “reckless, racist and deliberate campaign” to undermine South Africa’s democracy, discredit state institutions and fracture social cohesion through what it terms manufactured disinformation.
In a strongly worded statement, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said AfriForum’s conduct had moved beyond fringe rhetoric and now amounted to a calculated political project aimed at destabilising the country.
The governing party alleged that recent claims made by AfriForum, particularly around law enforcement and immigration matters, were designed to incite fear, inflame racial tensions and erode public confidence in democratic institutions.
“South Africa was forged through courage, solidarity, and a shared commitment to justice and belongs to all who live in it. The ANC will not allow racist misinformation to reverse our gains or to drag our nation backwards. The people must speak out, defend their nation and mobilise against such elements. It is time we expose the truth, and defend the democratic project,” Bhengu-Motsiri said.
Central to the ANC’s criticism is AfriForum’s response to what it described as a lawful intervention by the Department of Home Affairs against unauthorised foreign nationals operating illegally in South Africa.
According to the Bhengu-Motsiri, AfriForum has deliberately distorted this intervention into a false narrative of racial persecution, portraying South Africa as hostile to certain communities in order to mobilise international right-wing networks.
“This is not a misunderstanding of facts but an intentional attempt to poison public discourse, incite racial hysteria, and portray South Africa as a hostile state,” the spokesperson said.
She characterised AfriForum’s actions as “unpatriotic and dangerous”, arguing that the organisation has repeatedly chosen to internationalise domestic matters and lobby external actors against the country instead of engaging constructively within South Africa’s constitutional framework.
The ANC further accused AfriForum of acting as a conduit for foreign political interests, alleging that its politics are rooted in division and the exaggeration of victimhood.
Drawing on the words of former ANC president Oliver Tambo, the party likened AfriForum to “wedge drivers” who sow discord, weaken unity and undermine the people’s confidence in their own state.
Calling for a broad-based societal response, the ANC urged South Africans to reject what it described as a racist disinformation campaign.
It appealed to workers, young people, faith communities, progressive Afrikaners and “all peace-loving South Africans” not to remain silent in the face of provocation.
The party said South Africa’s democratic freedoms were won through sacrifice and struggle, and should not be endangered by a small group seeking to distort reality and undermine national unity.
The statement also included a call for firmer action by the state.
Bhengu-Motsiri urged the government to act “firmly and decisively, within the law” against any organisation or individual that persistently undermines constitutional institutions, spreads racial hatred or colludes with external forces against South Africa.
“Our sovereignty is non-negotiable and no one is above the law,” she said.
Responding to the ANC’s statement, AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel rejected the accusations and accused the ANC leadership of intimidation and dishonesty.
“The ANC leadership’s attempts in this media statement to intimidate me personally with blatant lies, and in the process to place my personal safety at risk, expose the ANC as a party that is increasingly undermining democratic principles and basic human rights,” Kriel said.
Kriel also criticised sections of the media, naming News24 journalists Pieter du Toit and Adriaan Basson, accusing them of participating in what he called the ANC’s intimidation efforts.
He said neither he nor AfriForum would be silenced, adding that the criticism only strengthened their resolve to continue what he described as a fight for human rights.
According to Kriel, opposing ANC policies was necessary to prevent South Africa from following what he termed Zimbabwe’s path of economic collapse, citing corruption, maladministration and expropriation without compensation.
He said AfriForum would continue to oppose legislation such as the BELA Act, which he argues threatens Afrikaans schools and cultural communities, and criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa and ANC leaders for failing to unequivocally condemn the “Kill the Boer” chant, which he described as a call for ethnic violence against Afrikaners.
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