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FF Plus wants to meet US embassy about 'injustices' in South Africa

The Freedom Front Plus says its continued attempts to enlighten the world about the "injustices" in South Africa are starting to bear fruit, party leader Pieter Groenewald said in a statement in relation to US President Donald Trump's tweet.

The FF Plus has already asked the United States embassy for a conversation about the "situation" in South Africa, particularly the matters raised by Trump, "namely farm murders and expropriation without compensation". 

Trump tweeted on Thursday morning that he would ask his secretary of state (the American equivalent of South Africa's minister of international relations and cooperation) Mike Pompeo to "closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large-scale killing of farmers".


"South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers," Trump tweeted. 

His following tweet, about two hours later, was: "NO COLLUSION - RIGGED WITCH HUNT! (sic)"

Trump's tweet about South Africa followed a Fox News report in which presenter Tucker Carlson made several false assertions about South Africa's process of reviewing Section 25 of the Constitution and land reform in general. There was also a veiled attack on former US president Barack Obama, and he called President Cyril Ramaphosa racist.

In a tweet of his own, senior FF Plus MP Corné Mulder thanked Trump.

"It is the intention of the ANC government to steal property from whites under the term expropriation without compensation. We need your help," Mulder tweeted.

In his statement, Groenewald said their requested meeting with the US mission would relate to the FF Plus's "continuous awareness campaign to inform the international community of how minorities' rights are trampled in South Africa, as well as the high incidence of brutality and farm attacks and murders".

The FF Plus launched a campaign called Fight Back SA on March 5, with the specific aim of raising international awareness. 

'FF Plus will make very sure that America gets the full picture'

Groenewald visited Belgium, among other places, earlier this year and met with European members of parliament and addressed the presidency of the Unrepresented Nations & Peoples Organization.

FF Plus's parliamentary caucus also hosted a delegation from the far-right German party AfD (Alternative for Germany) earlier this year "to gather more information on various issues like expropriation without compensation and farm murders".

"The FF Plus is already in the process of lodging an official complaint with the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations regarding the ANC government's violation of Article 17 of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which protects private ownership of property and prohibits expropriation without compensation," Groenewald said.

Groenewald said the FF Plus would continue to ensure that there was international pressure on the ANC.

He said it was insightful that the international think tank Cato Institute had already asked Trump to reconsider South Africa's membership to the Agoa trade agreement earlier this week, due to expropriation without compensation and its effect on minorities.

"The FF Plus will make very sure that America gets the full picture of what is really going on in South Africa and not the twisted, diluted version put forth by the ANC," he said.

"What is happening in South Africa comes down to serious human rights abuses and the world must let the ANC know that it is totally unacceptable."

Meanwhile, the South African government will meet US government officials in Pretoria on Thursday over Trump's tweet.

"It is regrettable that the tweet is based on false information. The Minister has thus instructed the Department to meet with the US Embassy in Pretoria to seek clarification on the matter today, 23 August 2018," Dirco said in a statement.

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