South Africa may have overplayed its hand by summoning the United States (US) Ambassador, Leo Bozell, to explain his so-called “undiplomatic remarks” regarding, among other things, court rulings on the “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer” chant.
Bozell’s statements over the past few days regarding bilateral relations between the US and South Africa have, in fact, been widely received as positive.
He expressed optimism about the potential for a stronger trade partnership between the two countries and stated that cooperation could unlock “tremendous growth, stability and expanded opportunities”, which would greatly benefit South Africa.
Bozell also expressed the desire to collaborate constructively in areas of shared interests, and highlighted the number and value of American companies and investments in South Africa along with the tens of thousands of jobs they create.
At the same time, he made it very clear that he was sent to South Africa with a specific mandate.
He added that the US and President Donald Trump consider it unacceptable that South Africa has not yet responded to the five key conditions set for the normalisation of trade relations between the two countries.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) believes that the so-called dissatisfaction of Lamola and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) is merely meant to divert attention away from these conditions.
After its recent visits to the White House, the Freedom Front Plus conveyed the US’s five conditions for restoring trade relations between the two countries in detail to the South African government and can see no reason why their recent reiteration should be regarded as a diplomatic crisis.
The party fully endorses these conditions. They are fair, sensible and no responsible government should persist with policies that harm its own people.
The five requirements relate to the Expropriation Act, Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), hate speech with regard to the chant “Kill the Boer”, farm murders and a review of South Africa’s foreign policy.
The Freedom Front Plus wishes to emphasise that this diplomatic clash is of the ANC’s own making – it has hijacked South Africa’s foreign policy to drive its own ideology and despite numerous calls for engagement from the Freedom Front Plus, it simply persists in it.
South Africa’s foreign policy ought to be a national priority with extensive parliamentary oversight and consultation to ensure balanced decisions that will benefit the country and all its people.
Freedom Front Plus Advocacy: The FF Plus advocates for the protection of minority rights in South Africa.
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