Former South African President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party has filed a treason complaint against AfriForum, a group advocating for the white Afrikaner minority.
The complaint alleges that AfriForum spread misinformation that influenced U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent decision to cut financial aid to South Africa.
The dispute stems from South Africa’s newly enacted land reform law, which allows the government to seize white-owned land in some cases without compensation.
AfriForum has actively lobbied against the law in U.S. media and political circles, arguing it endangers Afrikaners.
This advocacy, according to the MK party, misled Trump into issuing an executive order halting financial assistance to South Africa.
The order also cited Pretoria’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice as a contributing factor.
AfriForum’s efforts appear to have found sympathy with the Trump administration, which suggested that Afrikaners could seek refugee status in the U.S.
The South African government has dismissed these claims, asserting that no expropriations have taken place under the new law.
It insists the legislation is a necessary step to redress historical injustices, as white farmers still control 75% of the country’s privately held land while making up only 8% of the population.
The controversy has deepened racial and political divides in South Africa, with the Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s unity government, filing a legal challenge against the land reform law, calling it unconstitutional.
On Monday, dozens of MK party supporters, dressed in green military-style outfits, gathered outside Cape Town’s central police station, singing anti-apartheid freedom songs as their leaders formally lodged the complaint.
MK’s parliamentary leader, John Hlophe, accused AfriForum of “plotting against our government” and committing treason by allegedly providing misleading information that influenced U.S. policy.
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel dismissed the allegations as absurd, arguing that it is the role of civil society to highlight legislation that threatens the country’s welfare. The decision on whether to prosecute AfriForum now rests with the National Prosecuting Authority, which will assess evidence presented by the police.
