Cape Town – The African National Congress (ANC) has issued a strong condemnation of AfriForum and its chief executive, Kallie Kriel, accusing them of spreading racist disinformation and undermining South Africa’s democracy and sovereignty.
According to an ANC statement, the governing party said AfriForum’s recent actions amount to “a reckless, racist, and deliberate campaign to undermine South Africa’s sovereignty, discredit lawful state institutions, and incite fear through manufactured disinformation”.
“This conduct is no longer fringe rhetoric; it is a calculated political project aimed at destabilising our democracy and fracturing social cohesion,” the ANC said.
The ANC said that the row stems from a lawful intervention by the Department of Home Affairs against unauthorised foreign nationals operating illegally in South Africa. The party accused AfriForum of deliberately distorting the operation into what it called “a false narrative of racial persecution”.
“This is not a misunderstanding of facts but an intentional attempt to poison public discourse, incite racial hysteria, and portray South Africa as a hostile state to external right-wing networks,” the statement read, adding that such behaviour is “unpatriotic and dangerous”.
The party further accused AfriForum of acting as a conduit for foreign political interests rather than a responsible civil organisation rooted in South Africa’s constitutional order. “
The African National Congress unequivocally condemns Kallie Kriel and AfriForum for their latest actions, which constitute a reckless, racist, and deliberate campaign to undermine South Africa’s sovereignty, discredit lawful state institutions, and incite fear through… pic.twitter.com/jcWhBIodXC
— ANC – African National Congress (@MYANC) December 18, 2025
By internationalising domestic matters, exaggerating false claims of victimhood, and lobbying external actors against our country, they reveal themselves as wedge drivers whose politics depend on division,” the party said, invoking a warning previously issued by former president Oliver Tambo about sowing discord and weakening unity.
The ANC has called on South Africans across social and political lines to reject what it describes as AfriForum’s disinformation campaign. “We call on the people of South Africa to rise and defend our democracy, rejecting AfriForum’s racist disinformation campaign,” the statement said.
The party also urged government to take firm action, within the confines of the law, against any organisation or individual that undermines constitutional institutions or colludes with foreign forces. “Our sovereignty is non-negotiable and no one is above the law,” the ANC said.
In response, AfriForum and Kriel have previously rejected accusations that the organisation acts against South Africa’s interests, arguing that their advocacy is aimed at protecting human rights and holding the government accountable, as reported by local media.
The ANC concluded by reaffirming its commitment to what it called the democratic project, warning that it would not allow “racist disinformation to reverse our gains or to drag our nation backwards”.
This video sets out 10 reasons why ANC leaders should take full responsibility for South Africa’s deteriorating relationship with the United States.
The ANC’s attempt to scapegoat @afriforum is a clear effort by its leaders to evade accountability for the negative consequences… pic.twitter.com/Gv14b0gwcv
— Kallie Kriel (@kalliekriel) December 19, 2025
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
