Ah, AfriForum. The great evil mastermind, the puppeteer of Washington, the omnipotent force controlling global policy, if you are gullible enough to believe the South African government and its ever-compliant media. Yes, we are supposed to buy into the absurdity that this one advocacy group, with a few polite meetings in Washington, somehow engineered a grand conspiracy to strip South Africa of its AGOA benefits.
It is a nice fairy tale, one that conveniently absolves the ANC of any responsibility for its diplomatic disaster. The truth, of course, is far less flattering for the ruling party. South Africa did not lose favour with the United States because of AfriForum’s lobbying.
It lost favour because it has been stumbling into the embrace of Iran, cosying up to terrorist organizations, and making a series of foreign policy blunders so catastrophic they could be used as cautionary tales in a diplomacy textbook. But sure, let’s keep pretending this was all AfriForum’s fault.
South Africa’s Cosy Relationship with Iran
For years now, Pretoria has been waltzing around hand-in-hand with Tehran, the world’s favourite state sponsor of terror. You would think this would make headlines, but no. The ever-vigilant South African media prefers to hyperventilate over AfriForum rather than acknowledge the uncomfortable reality that the ANC is openly cavorting with a regime that funds jihadist proxies, oppresses its own people, and routinely calls for the destruction of Western allies.
Why hold the government accountable when you can just regurgitate propaganda and blame “white nationalists” instead? That is much easier.
South Africa’s relationship with Iran is not some casual diplomatic arrangement. It is an entanglement so deep that Tehran might as well have a VIP lounge in Pretoria.
Take MTN, for example. This South African telecom giant controls nearly half of Iran’s communications infrastructure. So, the same network that facilitates Iran’s domestic repression is partially owned by a South African corporation. A proud moment for democracy, no doubt.
And then there is the matter of military co-operation. What could be more charming than helping Iran improve its drone technology, allowing it to better arm its proxies and launch deadly attacks against Western targets? South Africa’s defence industry, once aligned with the West, now allegedly plays a part in Iran’s rapidly expanding UAV capabilities.
But let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about AfriForum instead.
The ANC’s Love Affair with Hamas
And what about the ANC’s newfound love affair with Hamas? Yes, that Hamas. The same terrorist organization that is openly dedicated to the obliteration of Israel. The ANC has rolled out the red carpet, hosting Hamas leadership as if they were long-lost comrades.
Never mind that Hamas is designated a terrorist group by the US and the EU. Never mind that their main contribution to geopolitics is launching rockets at civilians. None of that matters. The ANC has decided Hamas are the good guys, and Israel is the villain. So desperate is the South African government to demonstrate its pro-terrorist credentials that it dragged Israel to the International Court of Justice, accusing it of genocide.
Meanwhile, actual genocides in places like Myanmar and Sudan? Silence. Iran’s mass executions? Not a peep. Apparently, some human rights abuses are more fashionable to condemn than others.
Maybe it is because Hamas and Iran have mastered the ANC’s 1980s rhetoric, throwing around words like “Revolutionary” and “Freedom Fighter” to great applause.
Selling Out to China
If South Africa’s foreign policy was not already a tragic joke, the Taiwan debacle sealed the deal. The ANC, in its infinite wisdom, decided to do Beijing’s bidding by expelling Taiwan’s diplomatic mission from Pretoria, ending a decades-old arrangement in an embarrassing display of servility to the Chinese Communist Party.
Taiwan had maintained a representative office in South Africa for 26 years, but with the stroke of a pen, the ANC booted them out to appease its new overlords in Beijing. Because what is another democratic ally lost when you can grovel before a dictatorship instead?
Why the U.S. Cut South Africa Off
So, let’s be clear. The United States did not revoke South Africa’s benefits because of AfriForum. It did so because South Africa has been running headfirst into the arms of America’s enemies while expecting to still enjoy the benefits of Western economic goodwill.
Washington does not take kindly to countries that align themselves with Iran, back terrorist organizations, and undermine Western security interests. Nor should it.
The real scandal here is not the U.S. decision to cut trade benefits. It is the sheer, staggering incompetence of the South African government in getting to this point. The ANC has turned South Africa into a safe haven for despots, a cheerleader for terrorists, and a useful pawn for China and Iran.
And instead of taking responsibility, it expects us to believe that AfriForum, a domestic advocacy group, is the root of all their problems.
Media Malpractice
The media, naturally, is happy to go along with this farce. Admitting the real reasons behind South Africa’s diplomatic humiliation would require them to confront the uncomfortable truth that the ANC is not, in fact, the heroic anti-imperialist force it pretends to be.
Far easier to push a lazy narrative about racist conspiracies, blame Washington, and keep the public distracted with nonsense.
But here is the thing about reality. It has a way of catching up with you. The excuses will run out. The bills will come due. And when South Africa finds itself even further isolated, even more economically crippled, and entirely beholden to authoritarian regimes, it will not be AfriForum’s fault.
It will be because of the ANC’s disastrous foreign policy, its reckless alliances, and its unwavering commitment to being on the wrong side of history.
The views of the writer are not necessarily the views of the Daily Friend or the IRR.
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Image: Grok