By Doreen Mokgolo
- Rupert is said to have played a key role in setting up the meeting, which aims to fix the relationship between South Africa and the United States.
- The Economic Freedom Fighters are furious and say Rupert going to the meeting only benefits the rich.
South African billionaire Johann Rupert has joined President Cyril Ramaphosa on his trip to Washington to meet United States President Donald Trump.
The meeting is set to take place at the White House on Wednesday. It is meant to fix trade, diplomatic, and economic relations between the two countries.
Rupert, who is South Africa’s wealthiest businessman, is believed to have helped arrange the meeting. But his involvement has made the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) angry.
The party’s national spokesperson, Sinawo Thambo, said Rupert has no place in the official delegation.
He said: “Our democracy has grown to appreciate the need for redress in education, healthcare, and land ownership through the BELA Act, the NHI Act, and the Expropriation Act.”
“Rupert, a hard-nosed Afrikaner, has always been opposed to land expropriation without compensation.”
Thambo said Rupert’s role in the visit is to convince Trump that land reform is not happening in South Africa, and never will.
“He has benefited from unequal land and economic ownership and has even threatened to disinvest and crash the economy if his wealth is touched,” said Thambo.
He also slammed President Ramaphosa for including Rupert in the delegation, saying neither of them has the power to make promises about South Africa’s laws.
“This includes laws that require Elon Musk’s Starlink to meet local ownership rules to get a licence here,” said Thambo.
“Any promises they make to go around those rules will mean nothing. We will challenge them in court.”
The EFF accused both Trump and Ramaphosa of letting wealthy donors influence foreign policy.
Thambo said, “Elon Musk and Johann Rupert are two sides of the same coin. They parade their control over the presidents and hold massive power in both economies.”
He said the pair are racist and fear change because it threatens their wealth and power.
Pictured above: Johann Rupert.
Image source: @mnm_meya
