AfriForum and Solidarity Criticise Cyril Ramaphosa’s Appointment of Mcebisi Jonas, SA Annoyed
- AfriForum Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kallie Kriel criticised Cyril Ramaphosa's appointment of Mcebisi Jonas
- Solidarity's Head of Public Liaison Jaco Kleynhans asked if Ramaphosa's decision was because of incompetence
- South Africans slammed the lobby groups for once again weighing in on the government's decisions
Source: Twitter
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent ten years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism
GAUTENG – AfriForum and Solidarity are no strangers to criticising the South African government, and the lobby groups have done so once more.
The civil rights organisations have criticised the decision to appoint Mcebisi Jonas as his special envoy to the United States of America.
President Cyril Ramaphosa tasked the former finance minister with repairing the relationship between the USA and South Africa.
PAY ATTENTION: stay informed and follow us on Google News!
AfriForum Kallie Kriel questions Jonas’ appointment
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), AfriForum Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kallie Kriel criticised the decision, noting Jonas’ previous comments about Trump. In 2020, Jonas delivered a speech in which he called Trump a racist and a narcissist, a point Kriel was quick to point out. The AfriForum CEO asked whether this was a wise choice while sharing a video of the speech.
The Trump administration already expelled the South African ambassador for his comments about the President, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Ebrahim Rasool as a race-baiting politician who hated Trump. You can view Kriel’s post below.
Jaco Kleynhans slams Ramaphosa’s decision
Solidarity Head of Public Liaison, Jaco Kleynhans, was more critical of the decision, asking if the appointment was because of incompetence.
"There can only be one of two reasons why Ramaphosa decided to appoint Mcebisi Jonas as envoy to the US. Either their vetting process is so weak that they missed the video (pathetic), or they (ANC-led government) want to show Trump the middle finger,” he said.
Source: Getty Images
He added that he couldn’t see how the relationship between the two countries could be repaired now.
Lobby groups’ previous criticisms of SA government
- AfriForum agreed with Donald Trump’s criticism of the South African government
- AfriForum stated that Afrikaners would not be going anywhere after Trump’s executive order
- AfriForum and Solidarity travelled to the USA to meet with Trump’s administration
- Lobby group AfriForum planned to march against the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill
- AfriForum called for international sanctions to be imposed upon Julius Malema
South Africans unhappy with AfriForum and Solidarity
Social media users weighed in on the groups’ comments, expressing unhappiness that they were sharing their opinions about the government’s decisions.
Ntai Mokhitli asked:
“Who cares about the opinions of those racists? They have done enough damage to the country.”
Roy Young stated:
“Their opinions mean nothing at this time because they have already damaged our country. Hence, they are trying to use every opportunity to justify their error in judgement. They will have to live with this guilt for the rest of their lives, knowing that their secret plan to the USA made life somewhat difficult for their farming members in particular.”
Peter Tebogo questioned:
“President Ramaphosa doesn't need their racist opinion. Why don’t they run to Trump again?”
Ajith Ramgoon said:
“Jonas is the man for the job. Perhaps these clowns should read a bit or have someone read to them if they're too busy to read or can't read.”
Constance Nelufule questioned:
“What is their problem now? Did they have someone else in mind?
Katlego Maneje added:
“I think we're giving AfriForum and Solidarity way too much attention. They really don't deserve our time. Our country has more important things to worry about than these guys.”
AfriForum blames ANC for Trump's tariffs
Briefly News reported that AfriForum's Kriel blamed the African National Congress for a recent tariff increase.
US President Donald Trump recently imposed a 10 % tariff on many countries but a 30% tariff on South Africa.
The country got it worse because Trump maintained that terrible things were happening in South Africa.
PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU - click on “Recommended for you” and enjoy!
Source: Briefly News
