The recent deterioration in relations between the ANC and the DA in the government of national unity is believed to have been sparked by revelations that DA MP Emma Powell allegedly spread disinformation about SA during a trip to the US.
Powell on Tuesday issued a statement claiming President Cyril Ramaphosa's envoy to the US, Mcebisi Jonas, had been denied entry to the US and that the country refused to accept his credentials.
The presidency, through spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, responded in a strongly worded statement, accusing the DA of “positioning itself as part of a right-wing nexus” that aimed to undermine the country.
Government insiders say a report handed to National Security Council (NSC), chaired by Ramaphosa, has detailed that Powell during her trip to the US, undermined SA's “international relations and domestic policy narratives” by spreading disinformation that “contributed to the negative perceptions” of SA's foreign policy.
Sources in government also told Sowetan that the report put Powell at the centre of organising an “unauthorised” trip to the US that included former deputy minister of trade and industry Andrew Whitfield.
Insiders say Ramaphosa removed Whitfield based on the findings of the report. Whitfield's removal deepened divisions within the GNU. This resulted in DA leader John Steenhuisen announcing that the party would withdraw from the national dialogue process.
[Powell's] public and private engagements in the US have contributed significantly to negative perceptions of this domestic policy.
— Insider
The NSC is said to have commissioned the report after Powell publicly called for the change of SA's foreign policy. In a statement in March, Powell said: “In light of increased tensions between the United States of America and SA, the Democratic Alliance has called for a formal review of foreign policy at the cabinet level. This includes the adoption of a consensus-based approach to the appointment of ambassadors.
“The ANC, a 39% party, no longer enjoys an outright majority and is no longer at liberty to single-handedly determine SA’s foreign policy agenda without consulting its partners in government,” she said.
Insiders said the report suggested that Powell allegedly used her travel to the US to spread anti-SA government agenda, despite her party being a key member of the GNU.
“The report says Ms Powell has been identified as a primary architect of a negative narrative concerning South Africa's International Court of Justice case within Washington DC. This narrative is characterised by the dissemination of information inconsistent with the official position of the government of SA,” said one source who had seen the report.
“It states that Ms Powell is a key proponent of misinformation regarding South Africa's expropriation act. Her public and private engagements in the US have contributed significantly to negative perceptions of this domestic policy."
Powell said on Wednesday she would not comment on a report she has not seen. "Our activities in the US are well documented. We've been very open about who we met with and what we told them. Also, someone must explain to me what an 'unauthotised' activity is. I do not require permission from anyone other than my party leadership to meet anyone abroad and provide our perspectives," she said.
Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said he would not comment on the report but said: “We have noted various non-state actors have frequented Washington DC to advance and present agendas contrary to government policy and our national interests, as the aspirations of the nation.”
Another government source said Powell's activities “directly conflict with the legitimate and officially sanctioned engagements of the South African government”.
“Official trade negotiations with the US are properly managed by the department of trade, industry and competition, supported by the department of international relations & cooperation (Dirco), and advised by Mr Mcebisi Jonas and his team,” said the source.
The insider further said Powell's activities were designed to curry favour with foreign governments and undermine the current SA administration.
Magwenya said he had not seen the report and would not comment on it, referring Sowetan to the statement he released on Tuesday.
US president Donald Trump recently announced that the US would impose 30% tariffs on SA goods entering his country. The SA government is now in talks with its US counterparts in an attempt to negotiate the tariffs down.
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