Pompeo statement a boost for the fight against expropriation without compensation

19 February 2020

AfriForum welcomed the warning of Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, that expropriation without compensation would be catastrophic for the South African economy and the country’s population. According to Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, this statement is an enormous boost for the civil rights organisation’s international campaign to mobilise international pressure against the South African government’s plans to implement their ideology of expropriation without compensation.

Pompeo made his statement against South Africa’s plans for expropriation without compensation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during this morning’s session of the United Nation’s Economic Commission for Africa.

“Since the US is one of South Africa’s largest trading partners, the South African government should seriously consider Pompeo’s warning and realise that ideologically-driven policies pose serious threats to the country’s economy. With unemployment rates of about 90%, Zimbabwe and Venezuela are proof that everyone but the political elite suffer when property rights are violated,” Kriel says.

Ernst Roets, AfriForum’s Head of Policy and Action, and Monique Taute, Manager for Campaigns, just launched the American leg of the organisation’s #TheWorldMustKnow campaign. This entails, among other, the mobilisation of international pressure against expropriation without compensation. Roets already gave a pre-recorded interview on Fox News with Tucker Carlson yesterday and will visit various other media institutions, opinion formers, politicians and think tanks in the US.

“Investors leave countries of their own accord when property rights in those countries are not respected. AfriForum’s attempts to generate international pressure, is indeed to ensure that investors put pressure on the South African government to save investments,” Kriel concludes.

Issued by Carina Bester, Media Relations Officer, AfriForum, 19 February 2020