SA's own goal in US: Crime narrative backfires

A's delegation to the US painted a high-crime image, deterring potential investors despite their good intentions.
Ramaphosa and Trump met at the White House in Washington on Wednesday morning. Picture: Screengrab.
South Africa's detractors have often described our country as the crime capital of the world.
And, in their mission to reset frosty bilateral ties with Washington, President Cyril Ramaphosa and his team took time, one after the other, painting a picture of a crime-riddled society that is simply too much of a high risk to invest in.
Team SA was attempting to debunk the AfriForum-led lie of genocide against the Afrikaner community, especially farmers.
But in that turbocharged performance, the president and his team unfortunately ended up shooting themselves in the foot, drawing a picture of pervasive crime for which they asked their host, US President Donald Trump, for technological assistance to curb it.
Violence and crime against the Afrikaner community was always going to be high on the agenda during Ramaphosa's meeting with his unpredictable US counterpart.
Ramaphosa was armed with credible players in his team to dispel the Afrikaner genocide myth. However, in the sudden accentuation of SA's crime epidemic in general, in attempting to counter the false narrative of Afrikaner farmer genocide, our president revealed that SA's crime was not discriminatory.
ALSO READ: Why Cyril Ramaphosa failed in the US
We all have endured a fair share of it, he and his team argued, without coercion.
Afrikaner billionaire Johann Rupert, a member of the Ramaphosa delegation and a close friend of Trump, added two very crucial, but equally self-harming details about crime in SA.
The Cape Flats in the Western Cape, which is under the governance of Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen's DA party, experiences the bulk of their crime from gang warfare.
Second, according to the highly esteemed Rupert, the wine farmlands experience most of the crime from marauding illegal foreigners.
Now, what this means is that the illegal foreigners are untraceable. Unless caught in the act, there is no way to investigate their whereabouts.
They have no fingerprints in the home affairs database, no source revealing who they are, their age, gender, how long they've been in the country and what else they do for a living other than steal, kill and maim.
ALSO READ: 'WhatsApp about Gauteng and American Embassy shutdown fake and misleading', police say
In front of the president and a few of his Cabinet ministers, Rupert was telling the White House and international community at large that SA's borders are porous and immigration systems accordingly in shambles.
The border patrol authorities are not winning against illegal fence-jumpers – others go under the fence, or simply through it – and the picture Rupert painted was of a chaotic free-for-all.
Trump recently sent packing dozens of Venezuelan gang members, declaring them undesirable aliens in the US.
Rupert painted a picture of the Western Cape that is infested with gang wars that constantly claim innocent lives and have turned life into hell for the multitudes.
Ramaphosa was determined to strike a trade deal that involved all sorts of assistance, including crime fighting technology. But even the most ordinary US police officer listening to the SA Team's presentation would shake in their boots and resign from the force rather than being deployed to SA.
And yet, that was not the end of the story.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Malema not 'intimidated' by Trump's call for his arrest
One of the professional golfers in Ramaphosa's team, Retief Goosen, told Trump and his people about the hellish life his family endures in Polokwane, Limpopo.
His elderly mother lives in constant fear of being attacked and raped.
His brother struggles with the safe-guarding of the family business that involves parttime farming.
'My family lives behind high electric fences,' the man affectionately known in the golfing circles as 'The Goose' told Trump.
For a moment, I wondered which team Goosen was playing for – Trump or Ramaphosa?
Ernie Els, the former world No 1 golfer and the two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen, who are both good friends of Trump, formed part of Ramaphosa's delegation to the White House.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Issues raised by Trump will be 'duly addressed properly' Ramaphosa says
Then the 'Big Easy', Ernie Els, also painted a picture of a SA riddled by an indiscriminate wave of crime.
All these performances, mark you, come in an effort to dispel the false narrative that the Afrikaner farmers are exclusively targeted in a reign of terror, or genocide, as the White House believes.
We are trying to build a country together, but there are some who are working against transformation.
The objectives for an inclusive society are noble, but crime is a nightmare, to paraphrase Els.
Even Congress of South African Trade Unions president Zingiswa Losi added her own labour spice to the over-arching, albeit unintended, theme of crime to the exchanges between Washington and Pretoria.
SA needs US companies to invest, but the US needs to assist SA in the efforts to push back against the runaway crime, otherwise the environment would not be conducive for US investment, she reasoned.
ALSO READ: Sudan denies using chemical weapons after US imposes sanctions
This unfortunate message of a South Africa under the throes of criminality went out globally from the horse's mouth.
Every foreign investor into our economy must be evaluating their options.
As for potential investors, they must have thought coming from the lips of the country's head of state, his ministers, SA's wealthiest man in Rupert and a couple of professional golfers who are not into politics, SA must sure be a hell of an unsafe destination to do business in.

Hashtags

Politics

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

ANC succession battle — the pros and cons of the top candidates vying for Ramaphosa's job

Daily Maverick

4 hours ago

Daily Maverick

ANC succession battle — the pros and cons of the top candidates vying for Ramaphosa's job

While it is unclear who will take over from President Cyril Ramaphosa as leader of the ANC, their ability to win votes will be extremely important. It may be constructive to examine what five of the most likely candidates would bring to the electorate. As our politics becomes more competitive than ever before, the identity of the leader of each party has become more important. One of President Cyril Ramaphosa's great strengths when he became leader of the ANC was that he was more popular than the party. The ANC itself said that he played a major role in helping it win the 2019 election (this was hugely contested at the time, and the then secretary-general, Ace Magashule, was forced to publicly disavow his comment that Ramaphosa had not played an important role). Ramaphosa's deteriorating popularity among voters, partly due to his inaction against corruption, and the Phala Phala scandal, might well have played a role in the ANC's dramatic decline last year. This shows how important the vote-winning ability of a new ANC leader will be. While it is not clear who will contest the position at the ANC's electoral conference in 2027, there is plenty of well-informed speculation that candidates could include Deputy President Paul Mashatile, International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and the ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula. Paul Mashatile There is little evidence that Mashatile has broad support among the electorate. His apparent inability to communicate a distinct message during his time as Deputy President suggests he is finding it difficult to create space in which to move. This could be a function of the position he holds. Deputy presidents are often subject to intense scrutiny, and people look for evidence of their ambition for the top job, which could be why he has not, so far, articulated a particular vision. Mashatile's public speeches in English are often stilted. His answers to parliamentary questions are, frankly, boring. He does not say anything new, and his delivery comes across as wooden. As a result of having no apparent message, the narrative around him is dominated by claims that he has benefited from fishy financial deals. He has failed to properly and publicly condemn the violence used by his security officers when they assaulted the occupants of a vehicle on the N1 highway. It is difficult to imagine him crafting a coherent message as the leader of the ANC. On the election trail he probably won't provide much help to the party. His position as Deputy President means he doesn't have responsibility for any particular portfolio. However, for the contenders Lamola, Ramokgopa and Mchunu, what happens on their watch reflects on their public images. Ronald Lamola The minister of international relations and cooperation is a high-profile position — but it is overshadowed by the President. In some instances, for example, SA's genocide case against Israel, Lamola has been able to take the lead. However, in the hardest and most high-profile issue, dealing with the Trump administration, Ramaphosa has taken over. What Lamola does have, almost uniquely in the ANC, is the ability to connect with younger voters. His age (41) makes him one of the youngest leaders in the party. He is relatively unscathed by the scandals that have surrounded so many people in the party. That said, if he were to undergo more scrutiny, he would have to answer questions about how his law firm failed to notice the massive corruption at the National Lotteries Commission, when it was tasked with investigating it. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa The public perception of Ramokgopa is entirely linked to load shedding. He is an excellent communicator and has ensured that he, the government and Eskom have controlled the narrative whenever load shedding is instituted. He is associated with the successes in dealing with load shedding — and also the failures. He will also appeal to voters who want a technocratic face for the ANC. He can give the impression to black professionals that he is one of them, that he speaks their language and can get things done. Sipho Mchunu Mchunu appeals to a slightly different constituency. Crucially for him and the ANC, he could win back voters in KwaZulu-Natal. This province voted for the ANC when former president Jacob Zuma was its leader, then appeared to move in the direction of the ANC and the IFP when Ramaphosa took over, only for large numbers to vote for Zuma's uMkhonto Wesizwe party in the last elections. Mchunu may well be able to develop a crucial constituency in this province for the ANC, where he was once its provincial secretary. Nationally, it would be a huge card in his favour if he were seen to be leading a successful effort to reduce violent crime. However, the problem of SA's crime is so large and is so intertwined with aspects of our politics that Mchunu is unlikely to be able to make much difference. Fikile Mbalula Mbalula, of course, is not in government. It is his position as secretary-general of the party that might give him the edge in any internal ANC race. In the past, the position of secretary-general has been shaped by the personality occupying it. Gwede Mantashe imbued the office with huge authority, while Kgalema Motlanthe had more of a quiet legitimacy. Lately, Mbalula has appeared to be trying to portray more of a sober appearance than in previous years. However, it is unlikely that voters have forgotten what happened when he was transport minister and how he was responsible for so many missteps. As previously pointed out, Mbalula has a history of running his mouth off. People are unlikely to have forgotten how he tweeted that he had 'Just landed in Ukraine', or that he had taken Prasa into administration with no legal authority to do so, or that he used such vulgar language when talking to taxi drivers that the SA Council of Churches was moved to to make a public comment. Or that he was found by a Public Protector to have received a paid holiday from a sporting goods chain while minister of sport. These are the consequences of his long history in the public eye. It is unlikely that he can change the way the public views him. While it would be entirely rational to assume that ANC delegates would have the 2029 elections in mind when they vote for the position of ANC leader, history shows that sometimes internal dynamics are more important. And the ANC appears to have done virtually nothing to win back votes since the polls last year. This suggests that the electability of candidates will not be the most important factor in the ANC's leadership election. DM

More Afrikaners take up Trump's resettlement offer, thousands of applications being processed

IOL News

7 hours ago

IOL News

More Afrikaners take up Trump's resettlement offer, thousands of applications being processed

The second batch of Afrikaner refugees arrived in the US on Friday. Pictured are US President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, during a meeting which aimed to clear misinformation about genocide claims. Image: Jim WATSON / AFP About 8000 applications have been made by Afrikaners to the US embassy to resettle in that country. The Afrikaners are taking up President Donald Trump's offer to resettle them amidst false claims of white genocide and persecution in South Africa. Another small batch of Afrikaners arrived in the US on Friday after an initial group of 49 left the country last month. Trump issued an executive order in February where Washington cited the Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 as one that enables the persecution of Afrikaners. Solidarity's Jaco Kleynhans said the second group departed on a commercial flight on Thursday that landed in Atlanta in the US on Friday. 'It is a smaller group, including children. Several more groups will fly to the USA over the next few weeks. The US Embassy in Pretoria, in collaboration with the State Department in Washington DC, is currently processing 8,000 applications, and we expect many more Afrikaner refugees to travel to the USA over the next few months. "They are settling in states across the USA, but particularly southern states such as Texas, North and South Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska,' Kleynhans said. Reports indicate that the US embassy in South Africa is aware that 'refugees continue to arrive in the United States from South Africa on commercial flights as part of the Afrikaner resettlement programme's ongoing operations'. Solidarity said it has helped some people understand the application process better and referred them to the right people at the US embassy. They have also assisted the US government in determining the criteria for Afrikaner refugee status. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ 'Our primary focus is not refugee status for Afrikaners, but rather to find ways to ensure a free, safe, and prosperous future for Afrikaners in South Africa. We remain 100% convinced that South Africa can and must create a home for all its people,' Kleynhans said. He added that at least 20% of Afrikaners have already left the country 'because if they stayed, they would have been unemployed'. Kleynhans said he was campaigning in at least ten countries to increase international pressure on the SA government in the run-up to the G20 summit. On criticism that this refugee path is politically motivated, Kleynhans said: 'The American refugee programs are paid for by American taxpayers and it is outrageous that international organisations and foreign groups think they can dictate to the Trump administration who should be eligible for refugee status. If Americans disagree with Trump on this, they can elect a different president in three years." Kallie Kriel, AfriForum's CEO, said he did not know the Afrikaners who were leaving because they applied directly to the US embassy. 'Our view is not to condemn people (who are) leaving, but rather to condemn the circumstances in the country that have led to this, such as hateful chants, like 'Kill the Boer'," he said. Kriel added that matters were compounded by the government, including the president and courts, which failed to condemn the chant. He acknowledged that everyone in the country has challenges, but said Afrikaners felt threatened by the open call for such violence with the 'Kill the Boer' chant. 'No community should be targeted through calls for violence. Also taking away the future of young people who now have to go into the labour market, but then are discriminated against based on their skin colour. 'We want to address that, and that is why we are vocal, because we want to make sure that South Africa truly belongs to all who live in it,' Kriel said. Professor Siphamandla Zondi, a political analyst from the University of Johannesburg, said the US's welcoming of the second batch of white Afrikaners should not surprise anyone, especially in the absence of a change of US policy. 'We should expect more and more poor Afrikaners to take advantage of this to get a free pass to the US in search of basic jobs, which ordinarily would prove difficult to get visas for,' Zondi said.

Top 10 stories of the day: IFP deputy chief whip's ‘assassination'

The Citizen