Thursday, 13 February 2025.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) welcomes the Speaker’s decision to grant our request, submitted on the 12^th of February 2025, for an urgent parliamentary debate on the United States of America (USA) government’s decision to halt aid to South Africa and the necessary response thereto. This debate, sponsored by our President and Commander-in-Chief Julius Malema, is a matter of national sovereignty, economic self-determination, and international justice, and Parliament must take a firm stance against foreign interference.

The EFF initiated this request because the unilateral withdrawal of USAID funding for HIV/AIDS programmes—at the same time offering Afrikaners refugee status in the USA on false accusations of land grabs and white genocide—is not an isolated decision, but a calculated act of political coercion. The move comes in direct retaliation to South Africa’s stance on land expropriation and the case we have brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel for the genocide of Palestinians being wrought in Gaza and Rafah.

This decision by the USA is an imperialist attempt to punish South Africa for asserting its independence and standing against global injustices. The timing, following Israel’s state visit to the USA and the influence of figures like Elon Musk, a close ally of Donald Trump, raises serious concerns about external forces seeking to undermine South Africa’s position on the world stage.

It is well known that Elon Musk harbours white supremacist views and has long sought to punish South Africa for its refusal to grant him free rein to operate his Starlink project without adhering to the country’s progressive Broad-Based Black Economic Empowermet (B-BBEE) laws. South Africa’s requirement that foreign investments include a minimum local ownership stake has frustrated Musk’s ambitions, as he refuses to engage in equitable economic redress. His alignment with the right-wing agenda of Donald Trump and his disdain for African sovereignty make it clear that he sees South Africa’s transformation policies as an obstacle to his capitalist and racial supremacist ambitions.

Beyond its geopolitical implications, this reckless and inhumane withdrawal of HIV/AIDS funding threatens the lives of South Africans who depend on these crucial health programmes. The USAID funding has played a critical role in providing lifesaving antiretroviral treatment, prevention services, and community-based health support for vulnerable citizens. The immediate concern must be to ensure that through self-reliant efforts, no person is left without access to treatment, as this could lead to severe health crises, increased mortality rates, and a resurgence of HIV-related illnesses in our communities.

The EFF stands resolute in defending South Africa’s sovereignty and will ensure that this debate leads to concrete actions that protect our nation’s interests. We reaffirm our call for Parliament to not only debate but formulate a clear and decisive response to this blatant act of economic and diplomatic aggression.

The fight for economic freedom, sovereignty, and justice is non-negotiable, and we call on all progressive forces within Parliament to stand in unity against this neocolonial bullying.

ISSUED BY THE ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Leigh-Ann Mathys (National Spokesperson) 082 304 7572

Thato Lebyane (Media Enquiries) 078 304 7572