Trump Administration Reportedly Plans Nearly R18 Million Grant for AfriForum

The Donald Trump administration is reportedly preparing to give South African lobby group AfriForum nearly $1 million (about R18 million) to document crimes against Afrikaners.

The proposed funding has raised eyebrows in the United States, with former government officials and lawmakers questioning why the organisation has been selected and whether the decision was properly scrutinised.

According to an investigation by US publication ProPublica, the US State Department is considering a $986,500 grant to support research into hateful rhetoric and violence against Afrikaners and other minority communities in South Africa.

The development has put AfriForum back in the spotlight as Washington continues to raise concerns about the treatment of white South Africans.

The proposed grant has not been welcomed by everyone in Washington.

Some former US officials have questioned AfriForum’s credibility and the decision to allocate such a significant amount of American taxpayer money to the organisation.

David Jandura, a former official who managed the State Department’s Africa portfolio, reportedly criticised the move, particularly given the cuts to other humanitarian and human rights programmes.

US Senator Jeanne Shaheen also raised concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding the funding process.

The criticism has fuelled questions about how the organisation was selected and whether other groups were given a fair opportunity to access the funding.

Interestingly, AfriForum was reportedly not the first organisation considered for the funding.

ProPublica reported that the Trump administration initially looked at Lex Libertas, an organisation founded by former AfriForum executive Ernst Roets.

However, after concerns were raised by American lawmakers, the funding opportunity was opened to other organisations.

AfriForum subsequently emerged as the expected beneficiary of the proposed grant.

AfriForum has reportedly clarified that the funding has not yet been finalised.

The organisation said it understood that the allocation was still being processed and promised to make an announcement if the grant was eventually awarded.

The development comes at a sensitive time for relations between South Africa and the United States.

Trump has repeatedly raised concerns about alleged persecution of white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners, while the South African government has rejected claims of a state-backed campaign against white farmers.

The proposed grant has once again placed South Africa’s racial politics and crime crisis under international scrutiny.

With nearly R18 million potentially at stake, the big question is whether the funding will go ahead and what the research could mean for South Africa’s already strained relationship with Washington.

https://briefly.co.za/world/us/258120-trump-government-plans-1-million-grant-afriforum-report-says/

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