Democratic Alliance (DA) national spokesperson Willie Aucamp has said that the uMkhonto weSizwe Party’s (MKP’s) recent treason charges filed against AfriForum, have “no prospect of success”, and will only harden attitudes against South Africa in the US.  

Last month, the MKP opened a case of treason against AfriForum in Cape Town, with the South African National Civic Organisation also announcing its intention to open a similar case against AfriForum, and other organisations.

The case followed US President Donald Trump’s accusation that South Africa is "confiscating land" and "treating some classes of people very badly".

The Hawks have confirmed that four dockets of High Treason have been opened, following accusations of the spread of misleading information in the US on South Africa's Expropriation Act.

Hawks head Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya said the dockets concerned some individuals that may have crossed the border to communicate things that had been perceived as treasonous.

He did not mention any names of organisations.

“…there are some organisations that are suspected to be involved, but certain complainants have indicated that this and that organisation seem to be the ones that are advocating something that appears to be high treason,” he said.

Aucamp said the country can’t afford MKP’s treason charges against AfriForum in the changing global environment.

He described it as “frivolous stunts that only inflame divisions”.

“…now is the time for cool-headed and mature leadership that does not indulge in extremes. It is also a time for unity and open communication lines to create the conditions inside South Africa where all communities are heard and can contribute to a stable democracy and prosperous economy,” he said.

Aucamp said there was a shared national interest in building capacity against a “gathering global storm”.

He added that South Africa would be “profoundly affected by this, especially given the poor international positioning and policy choices over the last three decades of African National Congress (ANC) government”.

Meanwhile, AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel argued on Tuesday that there were no legal grounds for the treason charges brought against the organisation, expressing its readiness for the investigation.

Kriel emphasised that any potential court case would provide AfriForum with the platform to show how “disloyal” ANC leaders behaved towards ordinary people of the country by “gambling with the country’s future”.