Unity Key to Defending SA's Democracy Against Right-Wing Deceit

Dr Reneva Fourie

As December draws nearer, South Africa is preparing to enter its customary season of jollity, with the fires of braais replacing the fires of politics.

Yet, beneath this merriment, a corrosive current moves quietly, threatening the reputation and cohesion of our democracy. The country’s image is consistently being tarnished by a small clique of right-wing Afrikaner nationalists whose agenda has found unsettling resonance abroad.

Within South Africa, these elements are increasingly isolated. Their nostalgia for a segregated past is no longer tolerated in the mainstream of public life. However, their calculated campaign of grievance has infiltrated conversations in foreign capitals and distorted perceptions of who we are as a nation.

The damage is most visible in the opportunism of Donald Trump, who has seized upon their false claims of “white genocide” to promote his own divisive politics. He uses these lies to lash out at South Africa for its principled stance on Palestine and shield his diplomatic ineptitude. He is refusing to attend the G20, and his advocacy that South Africa be excluded from all the ‘Gs’ reveals the depth of his malice and ignorance. The danger lies not in his words themselves, but in the global echo they find among the uninformed.

Fortunately, reason still prevails among most international actors, who recognise Trump’s fabrications for what they are. Yet, the persistence of organisations such as AfriForum, Solidarity, and the Cape Independence Advocacy Group is seeding doubt where there should be none.

Their messaging is sophisticated, their platforms well-funded, and their objectives transparent: to depict South Africa as a failed state persecuting minorities, and to erode the moral authority our democracy continues to command. This begs the question: when will their slander end, and why has our collective response been so muted?

During the state capture era, South Africans did not hesitate to take to the streets. The call for ethical governance was loud, unified, and unwavering. Citizens confronted power directly and forced accountability through sheer collective resolve.

Today, as our nation is defamed before the world, that same civic spirit appears to have dimmed. The lies being circulated about South Africa are profoundly destructive, yet there are no mass gatherings, no citizen-led campaigns, no outcry defending the integrity of our democracy.

Right-wing extremists are mobilising the world against a constitutional democracy founded on equality, freedom, and justice. They are undermining the sovereignty of a nation that has earned its place among the community of democracies through sacrifice and struggle.

Our Constitution enshrines values that are universally revered. It protects freedom of speech, association, and belief, while guaranteeing the cultural expression of all communities. To seek foreign interference in such a system is not only disloyal but treasonous.

It is, therefore, troubling that civil society, once so vibrant in defending democracy, is now subdued. Where are the organisations that once stood as the moral conscience of our nation? Their silence risks normalising the untruths that are spreading unabatedly, allowing malicious actors to shape global narratives about our country without challenge.

These extremist groups are not new to our politics. They are the heirs of those who resisted democracy itself. In the 1992 referendum that determined whether negotiations to end apartheid should continue, nearly 70 per cent of white South Africans voted “yes”.

But these groups voted “no” and attempted to halt progress through fear and violence. They planted bombs, issued threats of nuclear catastrophe, and promised insurrection should equality prevail. That same mindset persists today, masquerading as cultural defence but fuelled by resentment toward transformation.

Their rejection of a united, non-racial South Africa is accompanied by a distorted claim over Afrikaans. They refuse to accept that Afrikaans is a shared language, born of the interaction among diverse communities in the Cape and beyond. It is not the preserve of any one group. It is a South African language, and its heritage is inclusive.

The democratic electorate has repeatedly rejected their politics. In the 2024 general election, parties aligned with this ideology barely scraped 1.5 percent of the national vote. Yet, despite their irrelevance in democratic terms, they wield influence disproportionate to their numbers through relentless propaganda and international lobbying. If this deceit continues unchecked, the harm will deepen, both for the country’s image and for the delicate social fabric that binds it together.

The government’s efforts to counter these distortions deserve active public support. Defending our democracy cannot be left to official institutions alone. Citizens must once again occupy the space of moral authority that defines South African resilience.

Peaceful demonstrations at the offices of those who profit from disinformation would signal that the people of this country stand united against deceit. It would remind the world that South Africa’s democracy is not an accident of history but the result of conscious struggle and collective will.

The foundations of legacy leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Desmond and Leah Tutu, and Ahmed Kathrada, as well as those of Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe, should convene public forums to reaffirm constitutionalism and the truth. Their voices carry historical and ethical weight, capable of restoring reason where confusion has been sown.

Political parties must also act decisively. Those who incite foreign hostility against South Africa should face political and legal consequences. To manipulate global opinion against one’s own country is to betray its people.

The Afrikaner community itself plays a crucial role. Many Afrikaners have long embraced democracy and worked to build a just society. Many are also vocally rejecting the current display of extremism. More should join to dismantle the myth that right-wing nationalism represents their collective voice. 

South Africans have endured too much to allow lies to corrode what has been built. The freedom and dignity secured through struggle must be protected with vigilance and courage. As the festive season unfolds, let our gatherings reaffirm that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, equal in worth and bound by a shared destiny. A handful of reactionaries cannot be the narrators of our story.

* Dr Reneva Fourie is a policy analyst specialising in governance, development, and security.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.