JOHANNESBURG: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa accused the United States late on Sunday of peddling “blatant misinformation” by claiming his country was killing white people.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked South Africa since returning to the White House earlier this year, pointing to false claims of “white genocide” of Afrikaners, a minority population descended from European colonizers.
The US boycotted last weekend’s G20 summit in Johannesburg and Trump announced on Wednesday that he would not invite South Africa to the next gathering of the world’s leading economies, which he plans to host at a golf course in Miami owned by his family.
Ramaphosa said in a televised address the reasons the US gave for its “non-participation” were informed by “baseless and false allegations that South Africa is perpetrating genocide against Afrikaners and the confiscation of land from white people.”
“This is blatant misinformation about our country,” the president said on the SABC broadcast.
“As a country, we are aware that the stance taken by the US administration has been influenced by a sustained campaign of disinformation by groups and individuals within our country, in the US and elsewhere.
“These people who are spreading disinformation are endangering and undermining South Africa’s national interests, destroying South African jobs and weakening our country’s relations with one of our most important partners.”
Ramaphosa however said South Africa was willing “to continue to engage in dialogue with the United States government, and to do so with respect and with dignity as equal sovereign countries.”
Ramaphosa labels US attacks on South Africa ‘misinformation’
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Ramaphosa labels US attacks on South Africa ‘misinformation’
- Ramaphosa said in a televised address the reasons the US gave for its “non-participation” were informed by “baseless and false allegations that South Africa is perpetrating genocide against Afrikaners”
ICE agents to help with security at Winter Olympics
ROME: Agents from the divisive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will help support US security operations for the Winter Olympic Games in Italy next month, a spokesperson told AFP.
“At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations,” the agency said in a statement.
“All security operations remain under Italian authority.”
It added: “Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries.”
The potential presence of ICE agents at the February 6-22 Games has sparked huge debate in Italy, following the outcry over the deaths of two civilians during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Italian authorities initially denied the presence of ICE and then sought to downplay any role, suggesting they would help only in security for the US delegation.
US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are attending the opening ceremony in Milan on February 6.
On Monday, the president of the northern Lombardy region, which is hosting some of the Olympic events, said their involvement would be limited to monitoring Vance and Rubio.
“It will be only in a defensive role, but I am convinced that nothing will happen,” Attilio Fontana told reporters.
However, his office then issued a statement saying he did not have any information on their presence, but was responding to a hypothetical question.
Thousands of ICE agents have been deployed by President Donald Trump in various US cities to carry out a crackdown on illegal immigration.
Their actions have prompted widespread protests, and the recent killings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, on the streets of Minneapolis sparked outrage.
