'Nothing more than their ambitions': DIRCO slams Freedom Front US visit
The South African government has emphasised that it was not part of the delegation of Afrikaner politicians who visited Washington, DC, in the US.
The group that went without being directed by the government arrived back in South Africa on Wednesday.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told IOL that the group was pursuing its “own agenda”.
“Our experience is that State actors do not use non-state actors as intermediaries; therefore, Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) visit and subsequent pronouncements will be viewed as nothing more than their ambitions,” he said.
The group includes VF Plus leader Dr Corné Mulder, the executive director of Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI), Dr Theo de Jager, and the National Employers’ Association of South Africa (NEASA) chief executive Gerhard Papenfus.
Mulder claimed that they were selected and invited to the US by members of the Donald Trump administration.
“We had a successful visit and were well received. We met with people responsible for Africa in the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and think tanks. It was a comprehensive visit,” he said.
The politician claimed that the delegation did not go over to the foreign nation to complain.
“We made it clear that we want to see our country prosper. We want it to be a winning nation once more, but some challenges stop that,” Mulder said.
“We were amazed by a request to communicate with the government to reset the relations between the US and South Africa. We were given four non-negotiables, which I will communicate to the President and the GNU.”
De Jager touched on investment, agriculture, and the role that Afrikaner farmers play in the country. Additionally, he criticised the Expropriation Act.
IOL Politics