President Cyril Ramaphosa has delivered what is arguably his strongest condemnation to date of separatist and right-wing groupings that have been lobbying foreign governments to intervene in South Africa’s internal affairs.
Addressing supporters during the ANC’s January 8 anniversary statement at Moruleng Stadium in the North West, Ramaphosa accused the groups of lying, conspiring, and actively working to undermine South Africa’s constitutional democracy. He singled out efforts to court foreign powers — including elements within the administration of former US president Donald Trump — to take punitive action against South Africa.
Ramaphosa said organisations such as AfriForum, alongside other right-wing formations including the Democratic Alliance and the Freedom Front Plus — both of which are part of the Government of National Unity — have intensified their international lobbying campaign in recent months. This, he said, has been accompanied by what he described as deliberate misinformation efforts aimed at discrediting South Africa globally.
While these groups have received what Ramaphosa described as disproportionate and uncritical media coverage in the United States, Europe and locally, he insisted they remain a marginal minority with little support among South Africans.
“The vast majority of South Africans, and indeed of global humanity, embrace the values of freedom, equality, non-racialism, non-sexism and human solidarity,” Ramaphosa said. “However, there is an increasingly vocal minority in our country that makes common cause with this global attack and actively propagates falsehoods.
“Their aim is to undermine South Africa’s constitutional democracy, non-racialism, non-sexism and the transformation project. They employ multifaceted tactics, including the propagation of blatant falsehoods such as claims of ‘white genocide’, to attract sympathy and solidarity from global racist movements and individuals.”
The president said these groups employ a range of coordinated strategies to advance what he described as an anti-democratic agenda.
“On the one hand, they form and fund political parties designed to fragment the motive forces of change. On the other hand, they sow the seeds of regime change, establish parallel state structures and foment secessionist tendencies,” he said. “Reversing the gains of democracy by any means has become an increasingly open objective of domestic anti-transformation forces and their global allies.”
Ramaphosa called on the African National Congress and its allies to mobilise in defence of South Africa’s democracy, sovereignty and constitutional order.
“Given these challenges, the current conjuncture demands that we build the broadest united front to defend, consolidate and advance the National Democratic Revolution, our constitutional democracy and our status as a sovereign country in the family of nations,” he said.
He added that this included defending democratic institutions, advancing workers’ rights, supporting small businesses and farmers, and ensuring the delivery of basic services such as housing, education, healthcare, electricity, water, sanitation, social security, roads and broadband.
On Wednesday, Ramaphosa told Newsnote that government was considering legal action against individuals and organisations involved in spreading what he described as deliberate falsehoods about the country, including the narrative of a so-called white genocide.
The president’s remarks come as South Africa prepares to receive Brent Bozell, a far-right political figure recently confirmed as the United States’ ambassador to South Africa.
Bozell has previously indicated that he intends to pressure the South African government to abandon key elements of its transformation agenda, including policies aimed at restoring land rights to black South Africans.