AfriForum today laid formal complaints against President Cyril Ramaphosa and Lindiwe Sisulu (in her capacity as the former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation) with the United Nation\u2019s Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders for attempting to discredit AfriForum as a human rights defender and, in doing so, impairing the work that the organisation is doing to promote human and civil rights in South Africa.<\/p>\n
This follows Ramaphosa\u2019s statement on farm murders and landgrabs in September 2018 during a visit to the USA. The charge is aimed at Ramaphosa\u2019s reaction to US President Donald Trump\u2019s tweet in August 2018 that Trump had instructed his secretary of state to investigate landgrabs and farm murders in South Africa. In reaction to the tweet, Ramaphosa said in an interview on Bloomberg (an international news channel) that Trump had been misinformed about the situation in South Africa. He said: \u201cThere are no killings of farmers, or white farmers in South Africa. There is no land grab in South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramaphosa\u2019s statements came after AfriForum\u2019s visit to the USA in May 2018 to create awareness of the South African government\u2019s policy of expropriation without compensation (and the associated land grabs), as well as for farm murders. Shortly after AfriForum\u2019s trip, the then South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Lindiwe Sisulu, responded to AfriForum\u2019s liaison tour to the USA by accusing the US President and AfriForum of spreading \u201cblatant lies\u201d and \u201cmisinformation\u201d about South Africa.<\/p>\n
AfriForum requests in its complaint that the Special Rapporteur:<\/p>\n
\u201cFarm murders, the expropriation of property without compensation and landgrabs are serious issues where human rights have already been violated and in respect of which many people\u2019s rights would still be violated if these tendencies are not stopped. The first step in addressing these issues is to admit that it exists. It is very worrying that the South African government ignores these issues locally, but it is unacceptable for the President to completely deny the existence of these crises in the international sphere. The attempts by the President\u2019s spokespeople to contextualise his statements after his return to South Africa did nothing to repair the damage that was done internationally,\u201d says Ernst Roets, AfriForum\u2019s Head of Policy and Action.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
AfriForum regards farm murders and land grabs as serious violations of human rights that, according to Roets, should be condemned by all influential role-players and governments worldwide who believe in the protection of human rights. \u201cThat is why AfriForum actively campaigns for the international recognition of the crises of farm murders, land grabs and expropriation without compensation. AfriForum will shortly announce further actions to put international awareness of these issues at the forefront.\u201d<\/p>\n