‘He shouldn’t be there’ – EFF blasts Rupert’s US visit

Julius Malema

Cape Town – The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has condemned the inclusion of South Africa’s richest man, Johann Rupert, in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s delegation to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House.

Rupert’s presence, along with South African golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, is controversial, while Elon Musk — though also criticised by the EFF — is not attending.

The EFF criticised Rupert and Musk as self-serving businessmen opposing transformation and equity, accusing Rupert’s participation as disrespectful to South Africa’s democracy and its progress on redress policies in education, healthcare, and land ownership.

“Elon Musk and Johann Rupert are two sides of the same coin. Both are egoistical businessmen who parade their control over the presidents of these two nations and both hold a considerable stake in both of these economies,” the EFF said in a statement.

“They are both racist to the core and are opposed to transformation and equity because it threatens their ill-gotten wealth and control over the political fortunes of the United States and South Africa.

“The inclusion of Johann Rupert in a diplomatic delegation is spitting in the face of our democracy, which has grown to appreciate the need for redress in education, health care and land ownership through the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, the National Health Insurance Act and the Expropriation Act.”

Despite speculation about potential tension or embarrassment during the meeting, Ramaphosa has expressed optimism, hoping for positive outcomes in trade, job creation, and bilateral relations.

He dismissed concerns about humiliation, saying that South Africans approach such events with dignity.

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