President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Azanian People’s organisation (AZAPO) have slammed the DA for its letter to the US secretary of state and other foreign affairs ministers in Europe, seeking help to ensure there is no foreign interference in South Africa’s coming election.

On Sunday, Ramaphosa accused the opposition political party of trying to sell the country to American imperialistic forces, while on Monday, Azapo rubbished the DA’s claims that the upcoming general elections won’t be free and fair.

This comes after the official opposition wrote a letter to the United States government to come and oversee the elections in May.

Ramaphosa described the DA’s decision to involve the US in the country’s affairs as, “quite disingenuous and almost an attempt to sell our country to other powers in the world”.

He said the DA had, “essentially offered South Africa’s sovereignty on a silver platter.”

“It is almost trying to mortgage the country to other powers in the world. We have our regional organisations. We have SADC. We have the African Union and indeed we have the United Nations as well. They always come and monitor our elections. In fact, we invite them to come and monitor. But now for a non-governing party or non state entity to do something like that is saying we are mortgaging our democracy to others,” Ramaphosa said.

Azapo’s spokesperson, Jabu Rakwena, said the DA was showing what he called its neo-liberal colours that the late Black Consciousness leader, Steve Biko, had warned black South Africans about.

“Despite the claim of support for democracy, they will not respect the will of the people to choose whom they like to represent them.

“The DA, in their suppressed racist attitude, is calling on the USA and other European countries to intervene and oversee our elections with the idea to ensure a particular outcome. South Africa does not require any “big brother” to teach us about democracy when they (USA) are supporting Israel’s genocide in Palestine.

“AZAPO is giving a warning to the neo-colonialists and their master that they will not be allowed to come and impose their ideas on us and act with impunity,” Rakwena said.

He warned that Azapo was taking note of those who believed that apartheid would return in an effort to realise the recolonization of the country, which he said they were plotting and planning with their international “masters” by interfering and undermining the will of the people in the forthcoming elections.

“These apartheid apologists are the very same who started appearing to support democracy in 1994, while calling some of us who were fighting for the liberation of this country terrorists. They were happy in their support for apartheid and unbothered by the plight of the poor, yet they want to teach us about democracy.

“AZAPO is calling upon our people to act with discernment when voting and ensure that we defend our democracy and reject any entry of colonialism through the back door. Our right to self-determination is sacrosanct and not for sale.”

In the DA’s letter to Antony Blinken through US Ambassador to SA, Reuben Brigerty, dated March 7 2024, DA MP Emma Powell indicated that the DA was uncomfortable with the ANC elite as it was likely to grow more desperate and attempt to rig elections in the upcoming May 29 polls.

Powell requested the help of the US to oversee the upcoming national and provincial elections scheduled for May 29.

“It is our contention that as the ruling elite grow desperate to retain electoral support ahead of the upcoming elections, they may be willing to put their narrow political interests ahead of our country’s broader interests and sacred constitutional values. Here, we are witnessing an increasing willingness by the ANC to forge alliances with malign international actors whose regimes are characterised by tyranny, terror and oppression,” Powell writes.

The letter has also been criticised by the ANC through its national spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri who said: “We don’t even know what is the basis for these tantrums by the DA. Firstly, it’s not surprising for us as the ANC. What do you expect from a party that wants to have international relations powers?

“What do you expect from a party whose leader talks about the war in Gaza, saying that one man’s genocide is another man’s freedom. What do you expect about protecting the sovereignty of SA to be able to run free and fair elections without the interference of any powers in the West and the global North?”

Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Powell indicated that she had spoken to the IEC about her party’s concerns.

“We alongside our multi-part charter partners called for an additional contingency of international election observers to come and observe the elections but that request was declined...

“We have full faith in the IEC on the structural level to conduct free and fair elections. However, we know that we have over 24 000 voting stations across the country many of them in rural areas where we cant ensure that we will have our own party agents,” she said.

The Star

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