Malema’s EFF Calls for White Groups to Be Labeled Terrorists in South Africa

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a radical South African political party, has labeled the government, AfriForum, and the Solidarity Movement—groups representing the country’s white minority—as terrorist organizations.

In a statement on Thursday, February 27, Julius Malema’s EFF accused these groups of committing a “treasonous crime” by “asking Trump to help them partition South Africa.”

While AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement did not explicitly call for partition during their visit to Washington, D.C., the EFF interpreted their push for security and training structures—exclusively benefiting Afrikaners—as an attempt to divide the country.

“We, therefore, call on the so-called Government of National Unity (GNU) to designate AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement as domestic terrorist organizations actively working against the interests of the republic by spreading lies and misinformation across borders,” the EFF stated. “Their actions pose a direct threat to the stability and sovereignty of South Africa, and they must be treated as such.”

Rejected Refugee Offer in the U.S.

140 years after the Berlin Conference, the EFF claims these “racist right-wing organizations” are now seeking the help of a major Western power to partition South Africa and create a whites-only enclave in the country’s southernmost regions.

“We are not surprised that these right-wing movements have rejected the offer to be refugees in the U.S. and instead opted to keep the white minority privileges they enjoy in South Africa,” the EFF said. It alleged that these groups prefer to maintain control over their vast hectares of land and farms, which it claims were acquired to the exclusion of the Black majority.

The Trump administration had previously proposed resettling white South Africans under a refugee program when South Africa passed the Land Expropriation Act, which allows the government to seize unused land for the public good.

By refusing the U.S. refugee offer, the EFF asserted, “Economically speaking, these racist organizations will never leave South Africa, as they know it is their haven—a place where they can exploit Africans for cheap, disposable labor while enjoying the fruits of land acquired through violent dispossession.”

Negative External Influence?

The EFF further accused AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement of attempting to circumvent key policies, including the BELA Act, the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, and the Expropriation Bill, by seeking foreign intervention to pressure the South African government into repealing them.

“If these demands were to be carried out by the government, it would mean the loss of our sovereignty as a state,” the EFF warned.

According to the party, AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement’s request for funding to establish Afrikaner security structures is an effort to secure military resources for self-defense units and commandos—allegedly to launch a coup against South Africa’s democratic state and enforce whites-only homelands.

The EFF likened this to historical instances where the U.S. supported anti-government groups, including UNITA in Angola and RENAMO in Mozambique, both of which waged prolonged conflicts to undermine socialist progress in the region. It also referenced U.S. support for various militant groups in Afghanistan and other nations.

Accusing the U.S. of fueling insecurity in Libya, Syria, and Cuba, the EFF suggested that backing Afrikaner right-wing extremists would follow the same pattern. “This is treasonous and should have our government’s full attention,” it stated.

“South Africa is a democratic country that follows due process in making and passing laws, with members of the public being consulted before any legislation is enacted. For AfriForum to call on a foreign country to apply pressure to change certain laws is anti-democratic and violates the international principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign nations,” the EFF added.

Accused Groups of Selfish Interests

The EFF criticised AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement for lobbying in Washington, D.C., to stop South Africa from being excluded from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The U.S. previously cut funding for HIV/AIDS treatment in South Africa, and the EFF claims these groups responded with indifference.

“For the fact that the whites in South Africa were not bothered when funding was cut earlier, the EFF said it is because, ‘in their minds, HIV/AIDS affects Black people in the majority. Instead, they are fighting to keep AGOA, as that is their direct business interest, mainly benefiting whites who own and control the means of production in our country.’”

The EFF accused former U.S. President Donald Trump of making “ill-informed decisions,” saying his administration’s willingness to entertain AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement’s demands “exposes his narrow political views and complete disregard for diplomatic relations between the U.S. and South Africa.”

“His administration’s willingness to entertain the treasonous demands of AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement speaks volumes about their shared reactionary and racist agenda,” the EFF concluded.

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