ANC Urges South Africans to Protect Democracy from AfriForum’s Alleged Disinformation Campaign

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has launched a scathing attack on civil rights group AfriForum, accusing the organization of conducting a “racist disinformation campaign” following a controversial raid at an “Afrikaner refugee” center in Sandton.

The Department of Home Affairs conducted the raid on Tuesday, where officials discovered seven Kenyan nationals working on holiday visas at a facility reportedly processing applications for Afrikaners seeking to relocate to the United States. According to reports, the Kenyan nationals have since self-deported.

The center’s operations appear linked to recent claims by President Donald Trump that Afrikaners face persecution in South Africa, assertions that many political analysts have dismissed as unfounded.

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel quickly condemned the government’s actions, characterizing the raid as “harassment” and “intimidation” against those involved. On social media platform X, Kriel stated: “This behaviour shows a disregard for the human rights of the applicants present. Such conduct is not unexpected from a government that still refuses to condemn human rights abuses by those calling for the killing of Afrikaners.”

The ANC responded forcefully on Thursday evening through spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu, who accused AfriForum of engaging in “a reckless, racist, and deliberate campaign to undermine South Africa’s sovereignty, discredit lawful state institutions, and incite fear through manufactured disinformation.”

“This is not a misunderstanding of facts but an intentional attempt to poison public discourse, incite racial hysteria, and portray South Africa as a hostile state to external right-wing networks,” Bhengu declared. “Such behaviour is unpatriotic and dangerous.”

The governing party highlighted AfriForum’s repeated engagements with Trump administration officials in the United States, suggesting the organization was acting as “a conduit for foreign political interests instead of a responsible organisation rooted in South Africa’s constitutional reality.”

In a direct call to action, the ANC urged South Africans from all walks of life to “rise and defend our democracy” against what it termed AfriForum’s disinformation tactics. The statement specifically called on “workers, youth, faith communities, progressive Afrikaners, and all peace-loving South Africans” to reject what it described as provocations aimed at endangering national unity.

The ANC statement further pressed the South African government to “act firmly and decisively, within the law, against any organisation or individual that persistently undermines constitutional institutions, spreads racial hatred, or colludes with external forces against South Africa.”

Kriel interpreted the ANC’s statement as a direct threat, responding on Friday morning that the ruling party was attempting to “intimidate me personally with blatant lies, and in the process to place my personal safety at risk.” He added that such actions exposed the ANC as “a party that is increasingly undermining democratic principles and basic human rights.”

The AfriForum CEO also claimed that media outlet News24 was participating in “intimidation efforts” against him, though he vowed the pressure would only strengthen the organization’s resolve. “This intimidation will not force me or AfriForum into silence,” Kriel declared. “On the contrary, it motivates us to fight even harder, for the sake of everyone in the country, for the protection of human rights.”

The dispute highlights ongoing tensions around issues of land reform, cultural rights, and racial relations in post-apartheid South Africa. AfriForum has consistently opposed the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, which it claims threatens Afrikaans-language schools and cultural communities. Kriel also reiterated his organization’s demand that President Cyril Ramaphosa explicitly condemn the “Kill the Boer” chant, which AfriForum characterizes as promoting ethnic violence against Afrikaners.

This public confrontation occurs amid South Africa’s complex political landscape, where the ANC now operates within a governing coalition following reduced electoral support in recent elections. Political analysts note that debates over minority rights, land reform, and national identity continue to shape the country’s democratic evolution nearly three decades after the end of apartheid.