Who controls South Africa? (part 2)
The influence of Redi Tlhabi, Chris Maroleng, sponsored media, think tanks, and NGOs on truth, elections and the economy of South Africa.
For Part 1, I said you’d need a pot of black coffee. This time, if you’re looking at the AI analysis of Part 2, provided to me by Complexia, you know a 6-pack of Windhoek beer would be better. If you’re lucky, the bubbles will keep you afloat in the manipulating darkness of power in South Africa. Alternatively, wear a yellow dress so the USA can find you…
THE JOURNALISTS, THE PROFESSOR, AND OTHER PLAYERS
“Western reporters cite empire-funded think tanks because they generally align with the empire-approved lines that a mass media stenographer knows they can advance their career by pushing…” - from ‘Think Tanks Are Information Laundering Ops For War Profiteers’ by Caitlin Johnstone
Did journalists Redi Tlhabi and Chris Maroleng betray South Africa and Ukraine when they addressed the Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs on September 27, 2023?
Why was Professor Anthony Carroll, from John Hopkins University, the third ‘witness’.
In addition to seeking leverage, was it an American Uniparty plan to protect AGOA, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which the “radical” Republican wing and a few Democrats want to scupper?
Are think tanks and NGOs such as the CSIS and Atlantic Fellows relevant to what happened? And what about the massive amount of associated foreign cash flowing into South Africa to create the illiberal liberal leaders of the future?
If what happened in Congress is a half-priced sushi special, then the connections between those involved is the wasabi.
SOUTH AFRICAN MEDIA & NGOS
Mainstream Media (MSM) is mostly controlled by ‘liberals’, with biased investigative channels receiving foreign funding.
The outliers are SABC (State TV) and the Independent Media group (owned by Sekunjalo Investments and Corporation China), but the latter will not survive if the Court rules that the banks are allowed to close their accounts (that’s an ongoing battle).
MSM points a lot of fingers at National Government but not the Democratic Alliance (DA), the liberal party that’s the official opposition. That cannot be coincidence.
In step with MSM are the NGOs which also receive funding from liberal organisations overseas, often by the same foundations, and particularly from George Soros (and now his son, Alex Soros, who recently took over the running of the Open Society Foundation). Their anti-corruption efforts exist to point at the ANC as a whole, or against the enemies of ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa.
"We've long known that the Soros Foundation [OSF], as we've seen it, is a front. It's an NGO, funded like that, but it's co-funded in many of its programs by the [USA’s] National Endowment for Democracy and various other sources of funds. And essentially they push a liberal agenda and their idea is to try and transform all countries into essentially copies of the USA.
Well, what they do is they run training programs that build organizations, NGOs that then challenge the government. And the main focus of these organizations is regime change at the end of the day. They want to get rid of, for example, in South Africa, the ANC, and replace it with a liberal-democratic or even neoliberal government. And I think we've seen that in various African countries, but there's also a big pushback in Africa, as you've seen particularly in Francophone Africa.
I think we must actually monitor them very closely and make sure that we don't allow them to get away with the kind of excesses that they do. Because, you see they have what we call soft regime change agendas, the one with the media, the press, NGOs and that. But all the time they're also preparing for what you call hard regime change, which, in the end, they will actually mobilize people to overthrow the government, as we saw the so-called, the orange revolutions in Eastern Europe and that type of thing." - Dr. Phillip Dexter, ex-ANC MP.
The ANC deserves criticism but when the Media and NGO’s aren’t fair in every direction, it must be considered ideological or capitalistic, and a foreign attack or manipulation. Did that happen in Congress, with South African journalists as willing pawns?
THE CIRCLES OF REDI TLHABI
Redi Tlhabi is a celebrity in South Africa. Consequently, she received most of the attention after that Congressional hearing. But how was a journalist enabled to deliver these hefty words on X.
“Wish me luck. I've just arrived on The Hill. In a little while, I will be addressing the Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs. I'll share thoughts on the nexus between democracy & foreign policy. I have a statement on the US's tone, when engaging with their counterparts.”
The next day she faced an onslaught of local criticism, and was questioned why the U.S. Government had chosen her. Her flippant response made questions more ravenous.
“‘Why did they invite you?’ Ask the Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs. I met them for first time yesterday. My CV, examples of my work, articles, broadcasting & moderating clips were sent to them. They decided they'd like to hear MY analysis & thoughts. Go ask them why.”
Why didn’t she?
Maybe there is more to Redi having been selected, remarkably ad hoc, on the day. Was it a game of footsie at the expense of South Africa?
I never paid attention to Redi Tlhabi though I admired her in passing for being outspoken against sexual violence and corruption, the curse of South Africa - why half the country is unemployed, and why most of us will die younger than we should.
I don’t know her full work history but sometimes the company one keeps matters to motive. Redi has become more than a journalist, and it may surprise some of her fans that she’s based in Washington D.C.
Redi hosted a show on SABC, South African State television, but also worked for the liberal-swinging channels of ENCA and Cape Talk/Radio 702. Radio made her a household name in middle class Johannesburg and Cape Town.
She worked for the BBC and, as part of Channel 4, covered the controversial G8 Summit in Gleneagles. The World Bank's infamous Paul Wolfowitz was a guest, as was South Africa's President, Thabo Mbeki, whom Redi Tlhabi would make a negative documentary about the following year (stated without judging its merits).
A 2021 tweet by Tlhabi referenced the event. She was responding to Clayson Monyela, the other journalist who would appear with her in Congress 2 years later.
In 2011, Redi Tlhabi was chosen by the UK High Commission to facilitate a discussion between UK Prime Minister David Cameron and South African business leaders.
In retrospect, it seems logical that Redi became part of the UN Global Journalists Corps, and is now a member of Moderate the Panel which provides panel referees and masters of ceremonies to the United Nations (UN), World Health Organisation (WHO), Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), World Bank and others. Just before her Congressional comments, she was hosting panels at UNGA78, the UN’s 78th session, that included US Vice President Kamala Harris and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
The OECD, as example, is a global economic association with the USA as its main sponsor. It managed the Marshall Fund in post-WW2 Europe, and now seeks to shape global economic policy.
It’s mostly comprised of rich countries which represent 62.2% of the world’s wealth. It suspiciously excludes China, the biggest economy. Russia applied for membership in 1996, but was only officially rejected in 2022 when it invaded Ukraine to protect citizens in the Donbas. 26 years delay, and then the OECD had an excuse for “No!”
OECD Chief Economist and Deputy Secretary-General Laurence Boone said:
“We see that this war has set in train de-globalisation forces that could have profound and unpredictable effects.”
The OECD, like the Open Society Foundation (OSF), has a globalisation agenda gratifying the West, and thus markets itself hypocritically. It’s actions speak better to its intent e.g., it responded to the call for Corporates to be fairly taxed no matter where they operate yet arranged a deal that’s seen by critics to be favourable to those needing regulation.
"Today's tax deal was meant to end tax havens for good. Instead it was written by them.
This deal is a shameful and dangerous capitulation to the low-tax model of nations like Ireland. It is a mockery of fairness that robs pandemic-ravaged developing countries of badly needed revenue for hospitals and teachers and better jobs. The world is experiencing the largest increase in poverty in decades and a massive explosion in inequality but this deal will do little or nothing to halt either. Instead, it is already being seen by some wealthy nations as an excuse to cut domestic corporate tax rates, risking a new race to the bottom.
Calling this deal ‘historic’ is hypocritical and does not hold up to even the most minor scrutiny. The tax devil is in the details, including a complex web of exemptions that could let big offenders like Amazon off the hook. At the last minute a colossal 10-year grace period was slapped onto the global corporate tax of 15 percent, and additional loopholes leave it with practically no teeth.
This deal is an unacceptable injustice. It needs a complete overhaul. The OECD and the G20 must bring fairness and ambition back to the table and deliver a tax plan that won’t leave the rest of the world to pick up their crumbs and scraps.”
If the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the arsehole of the USA, then the World Bank is its penis, an erectile dysfunction for the poor countries it loans to. Debt is a means of control, not life.
Redi Tlhabi is part of The Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity, an American initiative. It describes itself as:
“A network of changemakers from South Africa and the United States building solidarity and action for a more equitable future… We are a transnational, multi-racial programme that advances leadership, solidarity, ideation and action to address the systemic challenges of anti-Black racism and white supremacy.”
It should be noted that South Africa only pretends to be a democracy, and that false image is supported by the West. I’m assuming those ‘liberal’ countries do so because that’s an easier public image to trade with. It’s akin to their ‘NGOs’ pretending to be human rights organisations whilst seeking to change the government of the countries they operate in (and when they get kicked out, their MSM friends use it as proof of tyranny e.g. Russia, China and Hungary).
Reversing the mirror, the USA supported Apartheid South Africa in its illegal war against Angola and South-West Africa (now Namibia) in the Seventies and Eighties.
The CIA arranged Nelson Mandela’s infamous imprisonment, and thus enabled him to become a global brand. Beautiful events such as the 46664 concerts for HIV/AIDS awareness become a whitewash of history.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation funders include Bill Clinton, David Rockefeller, Bill & Melinda Gates, the UN, the U.S. Embassy, Barclays Bank (ABSA), the City of Cape Town, Ford Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, and, of course, the Open Society Foundation (OSF).
The ANC, a black party, has been in power since 1994. Only 7.3% of South Africans are white, down from 11% in 1996. There are laws preventing whites males from getting jobs on merit.
However, white billionaires are common in the world, and some of them fund NGOs. For Redi Tlhabi’s The Atlantic Fellows to claim to fight “white supremacy” is disingenuous; virtue signalling at the least, or an ulterior motive at worst.
Deepening the irony is the location of their South African office at The Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg.
In 2019, the message was that, “The Nelson Mandela Foundation are delighted to host Melinda Gates, in conversation with Redi Tlhabi.” Melinda is also incredibly rich and white, and her husband was Bill Gates whom she still shares the world’s biggest foundation with, the same one that is the biggest donor to the WHO.
The Daily Maverick, the top biased investigative publication, did a wonderful advertorial of Tlhabi hosting Melinda’s book.
Bhekisisa, a health publication, is mostly funded by Bill & Melinda, but with donations from other sources such as George Soros and the United Nations. It syndicates its copy to the Daily Maverick and South Africa’s other biased investigative publication, The Mail & Guardian.
The following extracts are from MRonline’s must-read article, ‘Manufacturing consent: How the United States has penetrated South African media’:
In this new Cold War, South Africa is once again in the crosshairs. In recent years, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has developed close ties with the Johannesburg-based newspaper Mail & Guardian, which describes itself as “the continent’s leading independent newspaper.”
“The concerns about Mail & Guardian’s proximity to Washington are not new. In the past decade, two of the paper’s editors-in-chief have gone on to work for NED-sponsored organizations.
In 2015, Chris Roper (editor from 2009-15) left the paper to become deputy CEO of the data journalism initiative Code For Africa—part of the umbrella network Code For All, which is principally funded by the NED—and began a fellowship with the NED-sponsored International Center for Journalists.
Similarly, Khadija Patel (editor from 2016-20) resigned from the outlet to chair the NED-sponsored International Press Institute and, in 2021, was named head of programmes of the aforementioned International Fund for Public Interest Media.”“Further complicating the picture is Mail & Guardian’s relationship with long time U.S. government partner Open Society Foundations (OSF), the philanthropic foundation of George Soros.
In 2017, OSF acquired a majority stake in the paper through its Media Development Investment Fund. The OSF, considered to be the largest private funder of media in the world, is an official partner of the NED’s Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), whose mandate is to support “U.S.-sponsored development of independent and sustainable media.”
The U.S. government has long worked with OSF founder George Soros to sponsor media organizations in furtherance of Washington’s foreign policy agenda—a relationship that CIMA credits with playing an important role in facilitating the dissolution of the Soviet Union.“In addition to purchasing a majority ownership stake in Mail & Guardian, the Open Society Foundation (OSF) has undisclosed investments in [Ukraine, Serbia and] a number of other South African media outlets including Daily Maverick.
In August 2017, OSF and Luminate jointly founded the South Africa Media Innovation Program (SAMIP), a multimillion-dollar investment initiative. SAMIP currently supports 24 South African media organizations, including Mail & Guardian, Daily Maverick, The Daily Vox, and the podcasting network Volume.
In addition to these investments, OSF and Luminate have also issued over $15 million in media-related grants to South African organizations since 2017, including Ground Up, Africa Check, and Viewfinder, in addition to the aforementioned publications…”
Note that the South Africa Media Innovation Program falls under the Amplify South Africa program from the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) which was previously known as the Media Development Loan Fund (which was begun with funding from George Soros).
MDIF is the founder of the European Press Prize which is based in the Netherlands. It’s 2018 awards were held in Hungary at the Blinken Open Society Archives which has its roots in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the USA’s Cold War media outlet. If the name “Blinken Open Society Archives” rings bells it’s because it was founded by George Soros, but renamed in 2015 after a donation from the father and step—mother of Anthony Blinken, the current U.S. Secretary of State. The Soros have deep ties to the Democrats, especially the Clintons.
Winners of the European Press Prize include titles such as ‘Unmasking the Salisbury Poisoning Suspects’, ‘What we know about the rapes perpetrated in Ukraine by Russian soldiers’, ‘The Uyghur women fighting China’s surveillance state’, and ‘Greece must remain in the Eurozone‘.
The MDIF has provided $316m in loans and grants to global ‘non-mainstream outlets’ yet bought the majority stake in South Africa’s weekly mainstream investigative newspaper, the Mail & Guardian.
Back to Redi’s Atlantic Fellows, its origin is interesting.
The Atlantic Philanthropies was created by Charles F. Feeney, who seemed like a genuine do-gooder. By its close in 2020, it had donated $8.5-billion to mostly left-wing social activities, some laudable. It also fought dementia and AIDS.
Atlantic Philanthropies became more politically left-wing when its management included Christopher Oechsli, formerly involved with the Institute for Policy Studies think tank, and Gara LaMarche, the previous Vice President for the American chapter of the Open Society Institute. The latter is currently the head of Democracy Alliance (whose donors included Soros, Rockefeller, and others).
Democrat politicians received donations, including Hillary Clinton for her presidential campaign. $422-million was spent in South Africa between 1991 and 2016.
Atlantic Philanthropies was constructed so that it would legally have to close in 2020. Consequently, The Atlantic Institute was formed in its final years, as a means of transition. The Atlantic Fellows, to which Redi belongs, is part of that.
In reference to the Democracy Alliance, it may be coincidental that South African’s opposition party is also called the Democratic Alliance (DA) but is it chance that the journey to creating the Fellows began in meetings in Cape Town in 2016, the base of power for the DA and in the only province they control (but the size of Greece)?
The University of Cape Town has massively benefited from the different incarnations of the Atlantic which seeks to create liberal leaders for the future.
In 2016, the 20-year Atlantic Fellows programme was created in partnership with the London School of Economics and with a grant of R1.3bn (then $91m) from The Atlantic Philanthropies, the largest philanthropic donation in the university’s history.
In 2020, Atlantic Philanthropies donated a whopping R389-million (then $28m), half of the University’s donations.
Although I don’t have the figures, it continues to donate, as evidenced by a 2023 newsletter from the University’s Engineering Faculty stating that The Atlantic donated more than R50-million, as did The Rockefeller Foundation and The Ford Foundation.
For foreign readers to understand those amounts in South African terms, the average house costs $75,000.
The Atlantic is thus credible in its claim to have made the University of Cape Town respected globally. This and its efforts in other universities make it reasonable to conclude that it will influence our South African future.
Many people in this series have earned degrees from the University of Cape Town, of which I mention a few as example.
Harry Oppenheimer, grandfather of Rebecca Oppenheimer whose funding the three ‘liberal’ political parties, was Chancellor.
Wilmot James, from the DA, was Dean.
Chris Maroleng gained a Masters in International and Comparative Politics there. The university’s Current Research page lists him pursuing ‘The oversight of domestic intelligence in Constitutional Democracies: The case of South Africa.’
Maroleng’s supervisor gained her PHD through a Fulbright Scholarship, the “flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government” which has produced 41 heads of government, the most recent being the Prime Ministers of the UK, Belgium and Niger.
Keith Gottschalk, the Head of Political Studies for the University of Cape Town, was a Fulbright scholar. So were DA leaders Wilmot James and Mimmy Gondwe.
Education, those earning it and those facilitating it, should be applauded. However, there is a difference between furthering health and science versus politics and ideology. Any foreign country or organisation donating large cash amounts must be regarded with suspicion. The same must apply to who they hire, especially when they appear in strange places… like the Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs.
CHRIS MAROLENG
Chris Maroleng, an ex-Zimbabwean, was the second South African to testify before Congress.
He was a specialist researcher for the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the Africa Editor for ENCA television, a senior executive at MTN (a major continental cellphone company), and briefly the head of the SABC.
The ISS is notable as, in 2019, it was “ranked first in Africa by the Global Go To Think Tanks Report for Think Tanks with Outstanding Policy-Oriented Research Programmes, and the second best independent Think Tank in Africa.”
The ISS has offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg (as well as Ethiopia and Kenya).
ISS funders include George Soros, the European Union, United Nations, World Bank, USAID, and Anglo American and De Beers (the then Oppenheimer mining companies that got rich during Apartheid).
In role reversal, the ISS is one of the funders of the Oppenheimer’s think tank, the Brenthurst Foundation.
Its website states that “Exclusive rights to re-publish ISS Today articles have been given to the Daily Maverick in South Africa.”
Lindiwe Mazibuko is an ISS trustee. She got her degree in Political Communication from the University of Cape Town. She’s the ex-Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the official opposition to the ANC, but seemed to be a black token. She was a Young Leader for the World Economic Forum (WEF), and is also a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. The ISS has several links to the DA.
As described in an earlier post, the ISS received a remarkable 3 invitations to the last Munich Security Conference, suggesting that it’s important to Western interests.
Chris Maroleng’s stint at the SABC ended acrimoniously, which is when he took on his current position as the CEO for the South African branch of Good Governance Africa (GGA) which has its head office in Johannesburg.
In July, this year, he was promoted to International Chief Executive Officer, responsible for South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Ethiopia. Two months later, he appeared in the U.S. Congress.
It was in the link above that Robert Hugh Rose was mentioned, helpful since the website’s section on board members doesn’t work, and doesn’t list its funders.
Rose, a British national living in South Africa, founded Good Governance in 2003, and registered it in the UK in 2004. He remains a director in 2023.
Sir Anthony Lewis Richardson, a stock broker, is listed as a trustee. At the time of its founding, his home address was in Sandton, South Africa. He became Chair in 2016, but that position is now occupied by Rose. Like Rose, there is little information on Richardson except for him being a London stockbroker and Barclays Bank director that was schooled in Cape Town at Diocesan College in Rondebosch. It’s interesting how many times Barclays Bank a.k.a. ABSA pops up.
I cannot confirm that Richardson is the same person that graduated from the University of Cape Town, but it’s in the same suburb as the school he attended.
On page 2 of Good Governance’s ‘Micro company accounts made up to 30 September 2022’, part of the obligatory annual charity submission to the UK, it states that it has no employees (despite spending millions annually).
Good Governance’s (GGA):
“…aims to improve governance performance across the continent; to inform and persuade the policy community that transparency and accountability are the basic building blocks of successful development; to strengthen the rule of law; and to build an active citizenry that institutionalises constraints on executive power.”
It’s a clever name because any criticism will be seen as unreasonably against “good governance”. The GOOD political party did the same, when it broke away from the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Closer examination makes GGA’s name and intent a masquerade, and possibly a think tank/propaganda outlet for Western capitalism.
In BlackRock lingo, it says: “We aid private sector decision making towards enhancing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance." [If you don’t know about BlackRock and ESG then you don’t know that it’s not about good governance but greenwashing, a component in control of the majority by the minority]
Articles on the website veer off-topic to condemn Russia. Missing is criticism of the USA’s negative role in Africa. African decolonisation is treated as revolution to be prevented.
It approaches BRICS more diplomatically but negativity cannot hide with escaping falsehoods such as, “The de-dollarisation campaign has taken a few blows along the way, with member states seemingly showing little to no interest in the cause."
GGA could be another economic weapon against Africa. If true, that would explain why Maroleng, like Redi, appeared in Congress. And why GGA, 4 months earlier, posted a video about the forthcoming Congressional hearings and South Africa being on the wrong side of history i.e., with Russia and not with the USA.
Maroleng, in response to criticism that he was putting Western interests ahead of Africa’s, again made Russia the issue one week after his appearance in Congress. On X, he stated:
“I understand concerns about imperialism and the need to advocate for a pro-Pan African approach. But it is important to critically examine the actions and intentions of all nations, including Russia, when it comes to their involvement in African affairs.”
Russia should be examined but to mention it without it being blowback to perceived negative actions by the Americans, British and French is diversionary.
Maroleng then posted that he had just had a meeting with the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS). That organisation will prove further relevant when introducing the third ‘witness’, Professor Carroll.
CSIS is a notorious American think tank, a private body influencing political action and thus a content creator of the illusion (or it delusion) that is democracy.
In 2020, CSIS posted:
“The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is pleased to announce it has been named the number one think tank in the United States as well as the defense and national security center of excellence for 2016-2018 by the University of Pennsylvania’s annual think tank report…
CSIS topped the rankings for best use of social media and networks for the third year in a row and was ranked number two for regional studies, global health policy, and best external relations/public engagement program.”
The CSIS’ current trustees and counselors will raise the eyebrows of readers who’ve long sought to understand why the world doesn’t work for us. They include/d:
Henry Kissinger: The USA’s most respected and hated diplomat, also a Fulbright Scholar. Associated with the illegal “bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War, U.S. involvement in the 1973 Chilean military coup, a "green light" to Argentina's military junta for their Dirty War, and support for Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War despite a genocide being perpetrated by Pakistan. After leaving government, he formed Kissinger Associates, an international geopolitical consulting firm.” (source Wiki)
Frances F. Townsend: Former Assistant to the U.S. President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, board member for the Atlantic Council, board member for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, board member for the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), co-chair of the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on Preparing for the Next Pandemic.
James Winnefeld: Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Department of Defense, on board of directors for Raytheon, the big weapons manufacturer. He worked with the film crew for the propagandous Top Gun. During the War Of Terror, he commanded the USS Enterprise which bombed Afghanistan.
Paul Ryan: Former Speaker for the U.S. House of Representatives, board member for the Fox Corporation and Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.
Sam Nunn: Former Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
W. James McNerney Jr.: Former Chairman of Boeing, the weapons manufacturer. Received the inaugural Turning Point Award from the U.S. Army War College Foundation.
Julie Sweet: Chair and CEO of Accenture,which provides professional and digital services to Google, IBM, Amazon and others. She’s a trustee for the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Darren Woods: Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil.
Bob Schieffer: Former CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent.
PROFESSOR ANTHONY CARROLL
It’s difficult to define Professor Anthony Carroll and his ultimate goal.
He’s citizen of the USA, a commercial lawyer and investment advisor. He’s a retired professor from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. He’s the founding director of Acorus Capital which is based in South Africa and partners with Chinese investors, but has not updated its website since 2019.
In 2017, the Daily Maverick (yes, them again), proved that Carroll is a jack-of-all-trades by stating that:
Anthony Carroll, a Washington lawyer, trade expert and businessman who has had a long association with South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa more broadly, is being strongly tipped to become the next US ambassador to Pretoria.
Carroll would strangely go on to use the Daily Maverick as a fine example in his speech to Congress about AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act).
Notably, he was (or still is) a Senior Associate at CSIS, the profoundly effective think tank that held a meeting with Chris Maroleng after his Congressional hearing.
WHAT THEY SAID TO CONGRESS
Video timeline:
29min,22sec: Session begins
45min,13sec: Opening speech by Redi Tlhabi
54min,12sec: Opening speech by Chris Maroleng
1hr,3min,18sec: Question and Answers (which includes Professor Anthony Carroll).
Extracts from Anthony Carroll’s opening speech (and it’s interesting how the Daily Maverick pops up again):
“…the Daily Maverick SA’s media is open, independent and outspoken, and it has an international following, evidenced by the success of the Daily Maverick, which is claimed to be one of the world’s most popular news site. From a civil liberties perspective, there are no constraints on free speech.
While corruption and criminality have been present for decades, they are now at frightening levels and involve international criminal networks from Nigeria, Russia and China, resulting in South Africa’s being placed on the FATF ‘grey list.’
The US economic relationship with SA also has some positives and some negatives. No country has benefited from AGOA as much as South Africa…
Over 600 US companies operate in South Africa, and many do so as a gateway to Africa. Indeed, South Africa’s leading trade partner is “the rest of Africa.” Blue-chip US companies, such as Pfizer, J&J, Amazon Web Services, Stellantis and Ford, have recently invested billions of dollars in South Africa, often in partnership with South African companies. South Africa plays an important role in our quest to secure supplies of critical minerals as it is the world’s leading supplier of the platinum group of metals and plays an essential role in the extraction, processing and transport of critical minerals from neighboring countries…
SA’s relationship with Russia is perplexing, The recent joint military maneuvers with China and Russia, while long planned, raised concerns, especially at they occurred on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and underscored SA’s ambivalence about joining the US and its allies in reproaching Russia for its aggression at the UN and other fora. This seemingly burgeoning relationship was cemented by pictures of President Cyril Ramaphosa embracing Vladimir Putin when he joined 18 other African heads of state at the recent Africa-Russia Summit in St Petersburg.
The ANC’s largest donor is also a Russian oligarch [?] with mining interests in South Africa; this closeness is not new, however. The ANC received decades of support from the Soviet Union in its struggle against apartheid, and many of its ageing leaders were educated in the Eastern Block. Upon the installation of a democratic government, South Africa and the then-Russian Federation entered into an agreement of cooperation.
Moreover, Nelson Mandela made a state visit to Russia in 1999, and Vladimir Putin traveled to South Africa in 2006. Russia’s economic influence in South Africa is minuscule in comparison to that of the U.S., and recent polls show that South Africans do not support Russian aggression in Ukraine. Moreover, in my many visits to SA, I do not see any evidence of an embrace of Russia at any meaningful level.
In conclusion, while I understand and share the concerns of many about the direction of our relations with SA, I would oppose making it ineligible for AGOA. First, I do not believe that its embrace of Russian constitutes a direct threat to US security interests. Second, those goods exported to the U.S. provide critical jobs in South Africa and provide lower- priced goods for US consumers.
Indeed, South Africa is the largest supplier of whole oranges into the US market. Third, SA’s removal from AGOA would only play into the hands of anti-U.S. elements within the ANC and the radical EFF party. Also, as SA is a member of SACU, it would be impossible administratively to impose a restriction on SA exports without damaging the economies of other member states with which we enjoy close relations.
Rather, while AGOA needs to be extended in this Congress, that does not preclude restarting negotiations for a US-SACU Free Trade Agreement, as is now being negotiated with Kenya. Also, as South Africa has an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union that disadvantages US exports, we could make SA’s continuation as an AGOA beneficiary subject to the grant of equivalent status to the U.S.
Third, I am hopeful that Africa will conclude the African Continental Free Trade Agreement before the expiration of the next extension of AGOA, which will create an opportunity for the U.S. to negotiate a continent-wide free trade agreement. Last, while not related to trade, I believe that the U.S can make three vital contributions to South Africa and Africa, the world’s youngest continent: first, by transferring technology, second, making available creative capital and third, educating young African leaders in the US, such as through the remarkably successful Young African Leadership Initiative program.”
Extracts from Redi Tlhabi’s opening speech:
“South Africa's democracy must not be allowed to collapse, even as some of its foreign policy choices are found disappointing. A strong economy keeps rogue nations out. We have seen Russia's aggressive return and reengagement with the continent...
I do want to say that Africa is not monolithic. There is diversity and plurality. We see with Russia's engagement is that they have been most successful in weaker States where democracy is precarious, where the regulatory environment is nonexistent, and where the returns are quick. I repeat this. Russia has been most successful in weaker nations where democracy is flimsy: Madagascar, Sudan, the Central African Republic. The list goes on.
Africa is not only a stage on which Russia projects its power to the United States and its western allies but also a space for the exploitation of new commercial opportunities. Why does Russia succeed? Russia has presented this history as an ally of Africa, claiming to treat the continent as an equal partner in strengthening economies and crafting a multipolar world that can offer a geopolitical counterbalance in the world order.
It uses normative justifications like anti-imperialism and sovereignty to penetrate the continent. These messages find fertile ground in a continent that is breaking free from the shackles of colonialism, imperialism, and racism. This message matters to Africans, and Russia recognizes that and exploits it.
The United States, while being our strong ally and partner, does not quite enjoy the same affection, and it is not only because of the Soviet ties to the ruling party in South Africa, but it is because the U.S. is viewed as threatening and condescending. Some epistemic humility is required as the U.S. engages with its partners.
Africans value their hard-earned autonomy, and any partner that adopts a paternalistic tone is viewed with disdain. The United States is viewed as a country that seldom reflects on its own contradictions and inconsistencies and uses its economic and military might to ensure that others toe the line while adopting a different set of rules for itself...
South Africa also has far more in common with the United States than with Russia, a free press - I can say whatever I want to say about South Africa, and nothing happens to me - a robust civil society that pushes back against State excesses, a free judiciary. These are our common values, and perhaps they offer some pathway to salvage that relationship...
The vaccine inequality caused some injury to African citizens, the lack of a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council - those things matters. It makes Africans feel that United States is our friend on its terms; the door doesn't quite open and open fully.
We must not exaggerate Russia’s influence on South Africa and other African nations, but it is worth reflecting on how the United States treats its partners. It is worth reflecting on what this nonalignment - why it matters to African countries. Seek to understand rather than throwing a fit of pique.
Russia's influence is limited by the extent to which it can influence the political elite of the country and spread its patronage network. In South Africa, Russia has not succeeded in penetrating the State...
There is much affection for our history with the United States. There is an embrace of the vibrancy of the United States democracy, and there is much alignment.
While South Africa's position on Russia's aggression [in Ukraine] was disappointing, I posit that away from the flashing cameras and slogans, our democratic institutions have held that they need to be supported.
Furthermore, programs that bolster economic growth and democracy will go a long way in closing the door for any rogue players and ensuring that the South African State always acts within the dictates of liberal democracy and constitutionalism.”
Extracts from Chris Maroleng’s opening speech:
“Let us begin with a frank assessment of South Africa's domestic situation. The diminishing efficacy of the State, the escalating specter of crime, and the decline of health and educational standards are pressing concerns. The State has become a hub for political patronage and cronyism, leading to conflicts between and within big business and the private sector...
The ideological battles in the ANC over the State's role in the economy arise from resource conflicts, with the greatest challenge being the antidemocratic politics that have been marked by a tax on key State institutions, which have broadly come to be described in South Africa as State capture.
Its second great challenge, we would argue, comes from renewed emerging rivalries between major economies such as China, India, Russia, and the United States. The rivalries will define how the world navigates some of the great challenges of our century. To name a few, these are conflict, technological disruption, climate change mitigation, and poverty alleviation.
South Africa remains an important partner to the great powers. It is the greatest individual trading partner that China, the EU, India, and the United States each have on the African continent. It also ranks among the top five African countries in terms of aggregate trade with Russia. Great powers are therefore seeking South Africa's support, especially over contentious issues...
The war in Ukraine has been a contentious issue. South Africa's reluctance to join in international condemnation over Russia's invasion of the Ukraine stands in sharp contrast to the United States' stance against Russian aggression. Another flashpoint has been the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The two nations have adopted divergent approaches and perspectives toward the Middle East, deepening this seeming rift between them.
Further complicating matters is South Africa's growing alignment with China, particularly as a member of BRICS.
A particularly contentious event was South Africa's decision to host naval exercises with Russia and China in February 2023...
The deterioration in relationships between Washington and Pretoria has thrown into sharp relief - or has been thrown into sharp relief - when the United States Ambassador, Reuben Brigety, alleged that South Africa had supplied arms to Russia in December 2022 using the Russian carrier Lady R. Ambassador Brigety has yet to provide tangible evidence to validate these claims...
The implication of the strange relationship between the United States and South Africa is significant and extend beyond the diplomatic arena. Trade, investment, and cooperation in a number of sectors have characterized the economic relationships between South Africa and the United States. South Africa serves as a gateway for many of the approximately 600 U.S. businesses into our continent.
Conversely, the U.S. represents a significant market and a source of foreign direct investment for South Africa. AGOA has boosted South African exports, especially in the automotive and agricultural sector. And both countries have shown an interest in collaboration in areas like technology research and development.
While any deterioration in the relationship could potentially harm South Africa's economy, both - and I repeat both - nations have a vested interest in ensuring stability, democracy, and human rights in Africa...
It is not about the message, but it is about the messenger. In this regard, the Brigety incident has demonstrated that there is a need for the U.S. to maintain decorum in bilateral diplomatic relations, while South Africa must carefully manage its ties with China and Russia to ensure that it does not come at the expense of relationships with this important ally like yourselves.
The U.S. has an opportunity to reimagine the future with not just South Africa but the continent as a whole.”
The Q&A section is longer than the opening speeches and should be followed in the video. A highlight is Chris Maroleng stating:
“One of the things that we must also consider is calling out the hypocrisy of some of the foreign policy positions of the United States. On the one hand, you want to determine who [South Africa] can trade with, and who [South Africa] cannot trade with, but at the same time the United States trades with the very same people; for example, like China, which is one of the largest investors in the United States’ economy.”
SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT REACTION
South Africa’s foreign ministry is the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). Naledi Pandor, the Minister in charge, said:
“I've been a little perturbed at this hearing in the House of Congress where they invited two South Africans to comment not just on South Africa’s government but on the ANC as well. I thought it was a kind of misplaced approach because the government operates on the basis of the Constitution and the ANC is the governing party but doesn't run the government officers. I thought to the subject matter was rather odd and I think we need to continue to engage our colleagues in the United States of America to correct what I believe are a number of misperceptions about our country.”
In private, Pandor possibly exploded at what the ANC believes is foreign orchestration and interference.
She’s technically correct in saying that there’s a difference between the State and the ruling party, but, in practice, there’s no difference - the ANC has a cadre deployment programme which appoints their favourites to government positions, something the DA opposition also does but at a provincial level - that’s South Africa. The difference is that the DA was wise to not call it what it is, the same way Israel was wise not to label their oppression system as apartheid.
Pandor refers to the Americans as “colleagues”, as if its a synonym for friends, but it’s restraint because she knows that direct argument could result in South Africa’s financial loss.
With her words of understatement, Pandor’s the right person for the job, more akin to Russia’s Sergey Lavrov or India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar than USA-styled ‘diplomats’.
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER CONGRESS?
As already stated, after the Congressional testimony, Chris Maroleng remained in the USA and proudly met with CSIS.
In addition to his Good Governance Africa job, he’s started a business called Africa 360 Advisory (which doesn’t have any details but MSM is crediting him as such).
He will be the speaker at the ESG Africa Conference in the middle of the year.
3 days after her appearance, Redi Tlhabi posted on X, “Happy birthday, President Jimmy Carter”, and added a 2013 photo of her with him and others.
Since then, she’s been exceptionally busy, and surely must have people assisting her schedule and opportunities?
November 23 2023: In Cape Town, hosted Michelle Obama, Melinda Gates, Amal Clooney and Graça Machel, the widow of Nelson Mandela and the Chancellor of the University of Cape Town from 1999 to 2019
The Graça Machel Foundation is funded by Open Society, Bill & Melinda Gates, Ford Foundation, ABSA/Barclays, Atlantic Philanthropies and Diamonds Do Good whose industrial partners includes De Beers i.e. ex-Oppenheimer.
The Barack Obama Foundation is funded by Open Society, Bill & Melinda Gates, the Microsoft Corporation, Boeing, Jeff Bezos etc. They’re building a $700m head office.
November 24: Received her Masters Degree in International Relations from the University of Westminster, London.
Jan 2024: 4-part podcast series called 'Cop 28: Open Access with Redi Tlhabi'.
Feb/March 2024: 3-part pre-election program called ‘The Big Debate: Reality Check with Redi Tlhabi’.
Senator Chris Coons followed up with a letter to the Majority and Minority leaders of the Senate on October 26 2023. It was co-signed by John Kennedy, Lindsey Graham and 10 others.
“Importantly, AGOA also requires that beneficiary countries not engage in activities that undermine United States national security or foreign policy interests. With effective implementation, AGOA helps to counter the malign influence of China, Russia, and other foreign actors seeking to advance repressive models of governance…
Additionally, AGOA countries must eliminate barriers to U.S. trade and investment, ensuring that American-made goods and services have access to African markets. With a youthful, entrepreneurial population and vast untapped economic potential, the African market will be critical for U.S. exporters in the coming decades.
African leaders and American businesses are calling for AGOA’s extension and urging Congress to work expeditiously to extend the program into the next decade. We agree. While there are aspects of AGOA that Congress should seek to improve, we believe the priority should be renewing the program as soon as possible and for a lengthy period.
Renewing AGOA will unlock new opportunities to strengthen the partnership between the United States and Sub-Saharan Africa. We strongly urge you to consider the reauthorization of AGOA as an important priority.”
Although no decision was made, South Africa proceeded to hold the 20th AGOA Forum conference the following week, on November 2 2023.
It’s interesting that CSIS hosted an AGOA themed panel 3 days before which they described as:
American industries are nervous that AGOA could suffer a lapse like the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), creating major disruptions for trade in Africa and spurring private sector leaders to prefer trade and operating options with China… This event is being held as a critical precursor to incorporating the voice of the U.S. business community into this year’s AGOA Forum. This event is made possible by the generous support of Prosper Africa.
The panel was hosted by Laird Treiber, the Senior Associate of CSIS' Africa Program. Treiber was a member of the Foreign Service in the U.S. State Department, served as the Economic Minister Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in South Africa, and was the State Department’s Senior Liaison for Prosper Africa, the sponsor of CSIS’ show.
Prosper Africa was initiated under the Trump administration and was was expressed by National Security Adviser John Bolton as part of the U.S.’s answer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Prosper Africa self-describes as a “Presidential-level national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa.” It has offices in Washington DC, Morocco and South Africa, again showing that South Africa is an African gateway for the USA. Its coordinator, British Robinson, “collaborates closely with the White House National Security Council and the 17 participating U.S. federal agencies, including USAID, [and] the U.S. Department of State…”
Notably, the day before the AGOA conference in South Africa, President Joe Biden announced his intention to drop Uganda, Niger, Gabon and the Central African Republic (CAR) from AGOA. Considering that decision would only be enacted 4 months later, was it a verbal warning shot to South Africa and other members?
Uganda’s death penalty for gay people was clear reason for expulsion but it’s notable that:
Russia was being blamed for the coup in Niger (by an American-trained soldier);
Gabon was friendly to Russia after its coup against its Western-friendly president (and Russia uses Gabon’s flag for its dark oil fleet) and;
CAR prefers Russian forces for its fight against insurgents (and even has a Russian Orthodox Church).
At this stage, the actions of Congress seemed as if they were creating reasons to continue working with South Africa, almost as if it were doing the bidding of the hundreds of American businesses operating in South Africa, and using it as a door to Sub-Saharan Africa. Press coverage was positive.
On December 29 2023, that changed.
South Africa filed its case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), against Israel regarding its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. On January 11 2024, it presented its case.
Propaganda against South Africa stratosphered.
On January 26 2024, the ICJ made provisional orders in favour of South Africa.
Propaganda against South Africa mesosphered.
After lots of criticism, The Moonshot Pact, led by the DA and including ActionSA, began referring to itself by its official name, the Multi-Party Charter (MPC). Mainstream Media (MSM) followed suite.
The MPC made an extraordinary request and claim to the G7 on February 8, wanting them to act as independent election monitors and observers to stop the ANC rigging the May election. The Government, ANC and Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) were outraged at the attempt to interfere in the duties of the latter which has been regarded as one of South Africa’s best institutions since Mandela was elected in 1994. Furthermore, the IEC invites elections observers from the African Union, Commonwealth etc.
CSIS’s Laird Treiber popped up again, on Feb 15 2024, this time for Newzroom, one of South Africa’s three television news channels. He ended on the note that Iran’s State visit to South Africa “would seem to be almost perfectly calculated to inflame [the USA].” However, the day before, the South African Presidency had issued a statement that the visit had been delayed to a yet to be determined date.
How can South Africa not meet with Iran whose a member of the economic trading block BRICS? Of course, neither CSIS nor Newzroom mentioned that the USA has a long history of hypocritically meeting, dealing and creating regimes similar to those they claim South Africa and others should despise.
On March 6, South Africa approached the ICJ with request for additional measures to ensure humanitarian supplies to Gaza. On 28 March 2024, the court adopted the emergency measures, saying: "The court observes that Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine... but that famine is setting in.”
March 9 was another extraordinary day when an IEC staff member leaked the candidate lists of the ANC and MK (the latter fronted by ex-ANC President Jacob Zuma). The Media erupted to the benefit of the DA’s MPC. The name and motive of the culprit has not been released owing to ongoing investigation.
CLEVER EMMA FOR SOUTH AFRICA OR THE USA?
Two days before the IEC “leak”, there was a related and hypocritical major controversy involving Emma Powell, the DA’s Shadow Minister for International Relations and Cooperation. She was ‘Clever Emma’ in the introductory article, ‘The Fake Munich Security Conference 2024’, her attendance there as notable as the ISS’s.
On March 7, she followed up on the DA/MPC’s G7 letter with a request to USA Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for observers and resources for NGOs to monitor the election she claimed were endangered. She sent it via United States Ambassador to South Africa, Dr Reuben Bridgety II.
Readers will, by now, have no energy for surprises and coincidences, so it’s sombre fact that Bridgety caused an international incident and tanked the Rand when he, in May 2023, accused South Africa of supplying weapons to Russia. He has yet to provide the evidence.
As one person commented, the message was ignored, and the messenger focused on by Peter Fabricus whose article was published by the Daily Maverick as ‘Is US ambassador to SA Reuben Brigety a loose cannon — or a consummate professional?’.
Considering that Fabricus writes for the ISS think tank and the Oppenheimer’s Brenthurst Foundation, you know he favoured Brigety… as “professional”, “honourable”, “conscientious” and a “man of action”, but without the obvious deduction that he, on behalf of the U.S. (and nodding foreign funded organisations), deliberately stuck a knife in South Africa.
But that’s only prelude to the DA’s Clever Emma letter:
To: The Honourable Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, United States of America
Through: H.E Dr Reuben Bridgety II, United States Ambassador to South Africa
Election 2024 – Republic of South Africa
Following on from the letter sent to your esteemed office by the Multi-Party Charter, the Democratic Alliance, as the Official Opposition in the South African Parliament, wishes to sharpen our appeal to the international community in helping to ensure the integrity of the upcoming elections (NPE2024).
As you are aware, the NPE2024 is set to take place on 29 May 2024. This will be the most crucial election in our country since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
For the first time in democratic South Africa, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) may receive below 50% of the national vote. The ANC may further lose control of a number of provinces, thereby losing their majority in the upper chamber of Parliament, the National Council of Provinces.
Furthermore, the recent establishment of the MK Party, led by former President Jacob Zuma, is set to gain significant support in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, which may have concomitant implications at the national level. We are of the view that MK poses a substantive risk to the continued peaceful nature of our political discourse as a nation.
The fluid nature of the current political landscape thus presents both significant risks as well as opportunities.
We know that as the geopolitical sands continue to shift, those of us invested in the political values of freedom, tolerance, peace and democracy, must do everything in our power to stem the rising tides of populism, fanaticism, oppression and tyranny.
As you are aware, South Africa’s peaceful transition to democracy in 1994 was supported by countries throughout the world who shared our progressive vision, and worked with us to defeat racial nationalism and political oppression.
This support is as necessary now as it was then, because when democracies work together to preserve a rules based international order that promotes democracy, individual freedom, political franchise and universal human rights, nations thrive.
Sadly, 30 years on from the dawn of our democracy, the powerful and strategic geopolitical position that our Country once occupied in promoting these values, is rapidly diminishing.
It is our contention that as the ruling elite grow more 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.
We therefore appeal to your government to recognize the high stakes for South Africa in the lead up to, and aftermath of the NPE2024. It is in this context that we now formally request our partners in democracy to engage with consequence in the run-up to the election.
Our requests to your government are as follows:
In the absence of permissions being granted by our government for increased contingents of international observers to monitor NPE2024, resources could be made available to bolster the deployment of additional, independent, domestic observers.
More can be done to ensure that civil society organisations are capacitated to provide voter education and capacity-building for domestic monitors.
Any available resources that could be directed into an Independent Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) process, run by independent organisations, would be valuable.
Lastly, we note with increasing alarm the potential for foreign interference in our elections by malign actors. Your Country can help to safeguard against any attempts to disrupt the democratic process or negatively influence the South African electorate through misinformation and disinformation campaigns. We therefore expect that any available technological resources, designed to mitigate against these risks, will made available to opposition parties and independent watchdogs, to safeguard against sinister attempts to manipulate election outcomes, particularly within vulnerable communities.
We will be requesting a formal meeting with your Embassy in South Africa in coming weeks, where we will provide more specific detail in respect of our requests.
In closing, please accept our assurance that the Democratic Alliance will continue to meet with and remind the international community that South Africa is more than her government, and that the spirit of peace, humility, compromise and resilience that characterised our transition 30 years ago remains alive and well. Together, we will navigate the road ahead with bravery and hope.
Yours in democracy and freedom,
Emma Louise Powell
When she twittered about it on X, she ‘substantiated’ herself by including a screenshot from the Brenthurst Foundation:
Note Clever Emma’s evasive response when asked by a normally DA-friendly radio station for evidence of her claims.
ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri responded with:
“We don’t even know what is the basis for these tantrums by the DA. 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 on SA to be able to run a free and fair elections without the interference of any powers in the west and the global north?”
The South African Communist Party’s Solly Mapaila said that it was:
“…evidence that the DA stands for neocolonialism of a special type, and is at the service of imperialist regimes… The DA is a party of overwhelmingly white leaders in an African country with an overwhelmingly black population… When we fought against the apartheid regime, the imperialist regime of the United States reacted by listing our liberation organisations and leaders, including President Nelson Mandela, as terrorists. We will never forget this. Neither shall we allow our hard-won national sovereignty to be converted by the DA and its ilk into a subject of imperialist interference and control… Imperialist regimes are hard at work both directly and indirectly through the NGOs and the political parties sponsored either by their resources or by their bourgeoisie to effect regime change in South Africa… Certain sections of capital operating domestically have a vested interest and are involved in the agenda to unseat the ANC and by extension obliterate any prospects for a successful National Democratic Revolution. This is the context in which the owners, CEOs, or executive directors of the private corporations involved have thrown millions of rands behind the right-wing parties [fake liberals] and their coalition formation. In this way, they have also converted what should be multi-party democratic elections into money politics, a systematic destruction of real democracy.”
Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperations, responded like a diplomat should:
“To write such a letter particularly to countries that do not have observation and they have very low participation rates in the elections is rather surprising and demeaning attitude about Africa and the people of South Africa. I’m going to the US and I’ll be having several meeting there but I will not mention this letter, I don’t wish to embarrass South Africa.”
The irony about Emma Powell is that, 3 months earlier, The Cape Independent uniquely reported that:
“The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has decided to welcome American state security into our electoral system… The organisation selected to be the official partner for the IEC is a notoriously left-biased and incompetent organisation called Real411.
While the policy was announced in July, Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), the organisations tasked with carrying out online censorship in collaboration with Google, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), TikTok, has released a new statement on TechCentral to boast of their new and authoritative role leading up to the 2024 elections.
MMA and its partner Real411, both run by drama school graduate and NGO lifer William Bird, are an official platform for reporting ‘misinformation’, and will be empowered to censor South Africans on social media sites run by its partners…
The organisation even proudly helped send people to prison for disagreeing with the lockdown policies in 2020.
They are also easy liars, reporting Johnathan Witt for disinformation, for pointing out information that is freely available on their website, namely that they are funded by and in partnership with George Soros’s OSF.
Bird’s two little perches are paid for by the same cluster of trans-Atlantic NGOs which bankroll pro-land invasion groups like Ndifuna Ukwazi, SERI and Reclaim the City - the Open Society Foundation, the Raith Foundation…
Cyril Ramaphosa is never corrected by these people for his inveterate mendacity. Instead, this is a system to defend favoured factions in the South African elite power game, and the left-leaning staff are selected for ideological loyalty.”
That’s a dance partner for Clever Emma who, I repeat, told and asked Blinken that:
“[His] Country can help to safeguard against any attempts to disrupt the democratic process or negatively influence the South African electorate through misinformation and disinformation campaigns. We therefore expect that any available technological resources, designed to mitigate against these risks, will made available to opposition parties and independent watchdogs, to safeguard against sinister attempts to manipulate election outcomes.”
Is Real411’s election role fuel to the conspiracy fire that ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa is supported by the same people as the DA, and that the fight by money is actually against the ANC faction that opposes him (and supports ex-President Zuma). Is it also the reason why the DA, despite telling their coalition partners that they will not go into coalition with the ANC, now seems open to it after aligned Media strangely started reporting the possibility?
TIMELINE CONTINUES…
The timeline, by the nature of its name and politics, never stops…
The first article in the March 15 edition of The Jewish Report is ‘ANC’s Israel hatred looks to backfire at the polls’. It begins by quoting that poll by the Oppenheimer’s Brenthurst Foundation (which was discussed in the previous episode of this series, and is mentioned above):
“The African National Congress’s (ANC) Israel-hating fixation isn’t going to win votes in the upcoming general election, to the contrary, 23% of voters are ‘less likely’ to vote for the party because of its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict… voters appear to have been ‘alienated’ by the ANC’s foreign policy agenda, which has ‘alienated traditional allies in the West as the party indulges Russia, China, and Iran’, according to Ray Hartley, The Brenthurst Foundation’s research director… Department of International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor has fuelled this strategy based on her own selective religious and ideological beliefs rather than what’s best for the country and its people…”
If read in full, the article’s clearly a promotion for the DA.
In the same edition is another article for the DA with the title ‘ANC twists call for scrutiny into Israel “fight-back”’. It’s typical propaganda that labels the victim as the aggressor, and begins with labelling foreign interference in South Africa’s election as an ANC conspiracy theory, and then gaslights readers (i.e. voters) by stating that the opposition is asking that the USA help keep out foreign interference.
“The African National Congress (ANC) has doubled down on its conspiracy theory of an international ‘fight-back’ campaign in response to the government having taken Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
While South African opposition parties are calling on the United States (US) and other countries to help keep foreign interference out – in other words, from Russia and Iran - the ANC is claiming that the 29 May national elections may be shanghaied by the US and other Western countries because of its stance on Israel and Hamas.
After quoting Clever Ema, The Jewish Report substantiates her with “political analyst” Stephen Grudz who unsubstantially says:
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it has an eye on the South African elections. It’s difficult to tell what the outcome of interference would be – and difficult to prove it. But it would probably radicalise the electorate.”
Grudz’ LinkedIn profile shows him in conflict of interest as a journalist for The Jewish Report for 13 years, and having spent 2 years as liaison for the South Africa Jewish Board of Deputies.
He’s also Head of Policy for the SAIIA think tank (South African Institute of International Affairs). SAIIA is funded by many, including Soros’ Open Society Foundation (OSF), the U.S. State Department, the UK’s Chatham House, and Germany’s Christian Democrats Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
SAIIA’s Chair, Moeletsi Mbeki, doubles as an analyst for Nedcor Bank and as a council member of International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). The latter includes advisor Eyal Hulata, the former National Security Advisor to Israel and former Head of Israel’s National Security Council (2021-2023). Huleta is a member of a Washington-based think tank called Foundation for Defense of Democracies which is pro-Israel and anti-Iran/China/Russia, and posts quotes from neocons praising it.
The Jewish Report further substantiates the DA’s propaganda with quotes from Sara Gon of the Institute of Race Relations (IRR), and Frans Cronje whom they don’t list was her boss at IRR, and is now Chair of the new and mysterious German-South African think tank BRE-DE-RE.
Sara Gon conveniently reappears a few pages later to be quoted regarding another important event in this timeline: ‘Third time lucky? SA drags Israel to ICJ again’
“To rush back to the ICJ for a third time because the United Nations says there’s starvation looming is potentially embarrassing for South Africa.”
Advocate Mark Oppenheimer, who was introduced in ‘part 1’ as a defender of Israel, states the latest propaganda line that Iran is backing the ANC. Is it possible, yes. But anything is possible in politics. The question is why is an advocate, without evidence, sprouting defamation that can affect South Africa’s economy?
“This third piece of litigation will be paid for by the South African taxpayer, but it’s unlikely that it will be for the benefit of South Africans. It will worsen the relationships with our trading partners like the United Kingdom, America, and the European Union, who all respect Israel’s right to protect itself from terrorist organisations like Hamas.”
Their shameless propaganda unlikely found embarrassment when the ICJ ruled in favour of South Africa the following week.
THE BULLY BILL
On March 28 2024, The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee stepped up the pressure when representative John James tabled the ‘H.R.7256-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act’ with 36 bipartisan votes to 13.
The lowlights are as follows:
The South African Government has a history of siding with malign actors, including Hamas, a U.S. designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and a proxy of the Iranian regime, and continues to pursue closer ties with the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation.
Following Hamas' unprovoked and unprecedented horrendous attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, where Hamas terrorists killed and kidnapped hundreds of Israelis, members of the South African Government and leaders of the ANC have delivered a variety of antisemitic and anti-Israel-related statements and actions.
South Africa's robust relationship with Russia spans the military and political space, including allowing a United States-sanctioned Russian cargo ship, the Lady R, to dock and transfer arms at a South African naval base in December 2022.
South African Government interactions with the PRC Government (China) and ANC interactions with the Chinese Communist Party, who are committing gross violations of human rights in the Xinjiang province and implement economically coercive tactics around the globe, undermine South Africa's democratic constitutional system of governance.
The widespread presence in South Africa's media and technology sectors of PRC state linked firms that the United States has restricted due to threats to national security, including Huawei Technologies…
It is in the national security interest of the United States to deter strategic political and security cooperation and information sharing with the PRC and the Russian Federation, particularly any form of cooperation that may aid or abet Russia's illegal war of aggression in Ukraine or its international standing or influence.
The Bill demands:
Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the President, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, shall certify to the appropriate congressional committees and release publicly an unclassified determination explicitly stating whether South Africa has engaged in activities that undermine United States national security or foreign policy interests.
The President, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, the Secretary of Defense, the United States Ambassador to South Africa, and the heads of other departments and agencies that play a substantial role in United States relations with South Africa, shall conduct a comprehensive review of the bilateral relationship between the United States and South Africa. Report on Findings not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that includes the findings of the review required by subsection.
WHAT SHOULD WE THINK ABOUT ALL OF THIS
The initial aim of this article was far simpler, but became concern at a web of government agents and think tanks so complex and incestuous as to be questionable, and worrying in that they could be impossible to untangle.
The USA has had a long time to work at building and maintaining its superpower status. It’s being challenged on the global stage. South Africa, because of its neutral stance on the war in Ukraine, and especially its submission of Israeli genocide, is being made an example to others who dare attempt sovereignty.
For the USA, it’s “You’re with us or we’re against you!”
This game of power needs pawns. Consequently, 3 people were called to testify about South Africa and Russia to the U.S. Congress, all linked to foreign organisations influencing the world. How can that be coincidence?
Did the 2 South Africans, Redi Tlhabi and Chris Maroleng, betray their country (and Ukraine suffering a proxy war) when they addressed the Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs?
That would depend on whether they protectors of South Africa, “useful idiots” for empire, or career opportunists. We can, at least, rule out the middle one.
Rams Mabote interviewed Redi Tlhabi the week after her testimony. He asked her, “Whose your handler?” She replied, “My brain.”
We can erase “useful idiots” because Brainy Redi and Clever Chris are like the DA’s Smart Emma, maybe more so because they’ve worked for longer among the powerful.
It’s absurd that Tlhabi, a seasoned journalist who likely knows more history than we do, would skip the possibility of foreign interference. How could she honestly forsake the well-known curriculum vitae of the USA to say:
“We have a minister who recently said something about the CIA funding non-profit organizations. That’s a lot of nonsense.”
Ridiculing realism, the way the world works, is a lot of nonsense, even more so since she and Maroleng are in the sphere of influence that has foreign-funded think tanks and NGOs dissing South Africa in foreign-funded newspapers.
Our country’s deeply corrupt which makes us weak. The weak will be bullied or bought or both. We have a terrible election ahead, and all of us are afraid of violence, and the Rand being so punished that our lives only struggle.
We could take the easy way out and be cowards, as ex-DA leader and now Oppenheimer-funded Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane wants us to do. Yesterday, in the Daily Maverick (which we have less chance of escaping), he said:
“We need our government to directly call on Hamas to release all the hostages captured on and around 7 October 2023. This means that the Department of International Relations must issue statements expressly to that effect.
We also need to create some distance between Pretoria and Moscow. This means that we need to issue statements condemning the continued attacks by Moscow in Ukraine.
We need to challenge both Russia and China for their actions in various African nations. We cannot continue to merely assert to the West that we have shared and strategic interests while in our public rhetoric and our public associations as a nation we show that this is mere lip service.”
We should despise any media, think tank, NGO or country that deceives or hurts us. That includes electioneering, sold-my-soul politicians who want us to ignore that Ukraine is a battleground for a U.S. geopolitical and corporate war, and that the only reason why Gaza’s kids are exploding is because the U.S. won’t stop supplying Israel weapons and money.
But regarding this Congressional Bill alone, we have to hope that it’s ‘only’ the unforgivable act of trying to influence our May election and our economy. That’s a raw deal, but anything more could be bloody.
This post is analysed and summarised here.
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That wasn’t a good ending. It sits in a cloud of confusion and despair.
Right now, in Ukraine and Palestine, people continue dying. American weapons are landing in Kyiv and Tel Aviv. There’s no upside ‘cause I don’t own shares in bombs, coffins and artificial limbs.
The bigger problem is that I only had 2 beers, and no amount of imagining will turn that into a 6-pack. Plus I feel that I need to say more. I can’t go back and insert the tonnes I left out (‘cause it was already so lengthy), but there are parallel stories. Expect more…
Now Read:
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Although this could mostly be read as a standalone, it was Part 5 of the Spiderweb series.
Spiderweb #1: Is South Africa a threat to the USA? "South Africa has been building ties to countries that undermine America’s national security and threaten our way of life," says Congressman John James.
Spiderweb #2: The Fake Munich Security Conference 2024 - The elite guest list at the USA's military version of Davos included Alexander Soros, Anthony Blinken and South Africa's Emma Louise Powell.
Spiderweb #3: Who controls South Africa? (part 1) - A mystery about George Soros, Martin Moshal , Michiel Le Roux, Nathan Kirsh, Rob Hersov, the Oppenheimers, The Brenthurst Foundation, and the Democratic Alliance.
Spiderweb #4: Who controls South Africa? (interval) - A note about your shares and me being censored before the series continues...
Spiderweb #5: Who controls South Africa? (part 2) - The influence of Redi Tlhabi, Chris Maroleng, sponsored media, think tanks, and NGOs on truth, elections and the economy of South Africa.
Spiderweb #6: Who Controls South Africa (part 3) - Cold Case Apartheid & the Blood of the U.N. - A crazy crime story that travels from Europe to South Africa - assassinations, the attempted extermination of black South Africans, and the theft of billions by the outgoing Apartheid government.
Great article and expose of Tlhabi and Maroleng.
Gimme a Part 3!!
Related content >> https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/opinion/the-oppenheimers-regime-change-conference-c99ce9ba-bbea-409a-9283-2d9d736c0ec5