South African police confirmed Monday that they have opened a “treason” investigation into four individuals who are believed to be associated with Afriforum, a group that advocates for the rights and interests of Afrikaner farmers.
The Hawks, which are styled as an elite investigative force within the South African Police Services (SAPS), confirmed that they were investigating four individuals after accusations had been made by South African political parties.
DEVELOPING: The Hawks have confirmed that four dockets of high treason have been opened following accusations of the spread of misleading information in the United States on South Africa's Expropriation Act. Political parties, including the uMkhonto weSizwe Party and other… pic.twitter.com/ClF6V5abvp
— SABC News (@SABCNews) March 3, 2025
Afriforum and the Solidarity trade union, which also primarily represents Afrikaners, have advocated for the interests and views of their members and constituents, not just in South Africa but in Washington, DC.
Those opposed to their views — including supporters of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party — have accused the two groups of fomenting opposition to South Africa by President Donald Trump, who recently cut aid to the country (and others).
While some members of the South African government have acknowledged that Afriforum and Solidarity are merely exercising the free speech that is guaranteed by the South African constitution’s Bill of Rights, the extremist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by the staunchly anti-white racist Julius Malema, said last week that their advocacy was “treasonous.”
The ANC itself called on South Africans to “to isolate these right-wing races and focus on working together,” ominously referring to entire racial groups instead of to specific individuals or organizations it wished to target.
The South African Constitution specifically provides for freedom of expression, with the exception of “(a) propaganda for war; (b) incitement of imminent violence; or (c) advocacy of hatred that is based on race, ethnicity, gender or religion, and that constitutes incitement to cause harm.” There is no exception for advocacy abroad, which was the staple of ANC political activity during its many decades of exile.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
