<\/p>\n
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has condemned the inclusion of billionaire businessman Johann Rupert in a South African delegation set to engage with US President Donald Trump, labelling it a \u201cspit in the face of our democracy\u201d and an example of \u201cundue influence of big business\u201d over international diplomacy.<\/p>\n
EFF national spokesperson Sinawo Thambo, said the party criticises both South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Donald Trump for allowing what it calls their \u201cbenefactors and funders\u201d to steer bilateral relations, accusing them of undermining the sovereignty of both nations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn what can only be described as capture and an exhibition of the undue influence of big business in an interaction between two nations premised on democracy and sovereignty, Trump and Ramaphosa have allowed their benefactors and funders to influence and control the relations between South Africa and the United States, undermining the people of both nations,\u201d Thambo said.<\/p>\n
The EFF drew a controversial comparison between Rupert and tech mogul Elon Musk, calling them \u201ctwo sides of the same coin.\u201d<\/p>\n
The party accuses both businessmen of being \u201cracist to the core\u201d and hostile to transformation and equity, which the EFF claims threatens their \u201cill-gotten wealth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rupert, described as a \u201chard-nosed Afrikaner\u201d by the party, is accused of opposing land expropriation without compensation and of working to assure the US that such policies will not materialise in South Africa.<\/p>\n
The party also highlighted his history of threatening to disinvest from the country in response to efforts aimed at economic redress.<\/p>\n
Thambo said Rupert\u2019s participation in the delegation \u201cis a spit in the face of our democracy, which has grown to appreciate the need for redress in education, healthcare and land ownership through the BELA Act, the NHI Act and the Expropriation Act.\u201d<\/p>\n
The EFF further warned against any informal deals regarding the operations of Elon Musk\u2019s Starlink in South Africa.<\/p>\n
The party insists that the communications company must comply with local ownership regulations to receive a license, and any attempt to bypass this \u201cwill be meaningless.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRamaphosa and Rupert carry no mandate or legislative power to make any assurances around the reversal of South Africa\u2019s legislation.<\/p>\n
”The EFF reserves all of its rights to challenge back-room dealings which undermine the will of the people and the Parliament of South Africa, in our courts of law,\u201d said Thambo.<\/p>\n
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has condemned the inclusion of billionaire businessman Johann Rupert in a South African delegation set to engage with US President Donald Trump, labelling it a \u201cspit in the face of our democracy\u201d and an example of \u201cundue influence of big business\u201d over international diplomacy. EFF national spokesperson Sinawo Thambo, said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[18480,18481,3807,93,13554,18471,18479,1362,10223],"class_list":{"0":"post-240903","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-politics","7":"tag-039spit","8":"tag-democracy039","9":"tag-eff","10":"tag-face","11":"tag-inclusion","12":"tag-johann","13":"tag-rupert039s","14":"tag-talks","15":"tag-trump"},"yoast_head":"\nGet your news on the go, click here to join the News WhatsApp channel<\/strong><\/h2>\n