AfriForum agrees with US Secretary Marco Rubio, says it wants to help repair US–SA relations
AfriForum chief executive Kallie Kriel has backed US Secretary Marco Rubio’s assessment of South Africa’s policy direction.
Image: Jacques Naude/Independent Media
AfriForum has aligned itself with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s stinging assessment of South Africa’s policy direction, saying the diplomatic dispute between Washington and Pretoria cannot be resolved by dismissing it as “disinformation,” as President Cyril Ramaphosa has suggested.
Rubio’s latest criticism comes after he unveiled the United States’ framework for its 2026 G20 presidency, in which South Africa is excluded from the reconfigured grouping. In a policy document, Rubio argues that the ANC-led government has weakened the economy through redistribution-driven policies, racial quotas, corruption and regulatory burdens. He also accuses Pretoria of scapegoating citizens and misrepresenting US positions.
He argued at the time that years of politicised governance and the erosion of investor confidence had contributed to the country’s economic stagnation and international reputational decline. That earlier statement now forms part of the broader context of Washington’s growing frustration with Pretoria.
On Thursday, AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said his organisation agrees with Rubio’s assessment and believes that tensions with the US reflect longstanding domestic governance failures in South Africa.
Kriel said the Presidency should not attempt to resolve the dispute by attributing it to misinformation, but should instead confront “real issues of dispute” such as concerns over property rights, rural violence, and race-based legislation.
According to AfriForum, these are substantive matters that cannot be brushed aside.
“The dispute between the USA and South Africa should be resolved urgently. This cannot be achieved by falsely claiming that the dispute is the result of disinformation, as President Ramaphosa does. The focus should rather be on finding solutions to real issues of dispute, such as the disregard for property rights, farm murders, and discrimination through race-based legislation.
"In this document, Secretary Marco Rubio states that the ANC-led South African government should take responsibility for its own failings rather than 'scapegoating its own citizens'. AfriForum agrees with this and remains committed to helping find constructive solutions to the dispute," Kriel wrote on X.
The Presidency in South Africa has maintained that disinformation and misperceptions have shaped international responses to South Africa’s foreign policy and that Pretoria will continue to engage Washington diplomatically. But AfriForum argues that the US’s move — from its earlier public criticism to now excluding South Africa from its proposed G20 configuration — suggests that the underlying concerns are deeper and more structural.
The dispute unfolds as South Africa attempts to balance its relations with the US, China, Russia and other blocs, while navigating domestic economic pressures and ongoing debates about equity, land reform and national identity.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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