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'The meeting went very well and, importantly, the discussion focused not merely on what went wrong in South Africa, but on what can actually be done about it.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Lex Libertas met with senior representatives of the White House on Monday to discuss practical and long-term solutions to the political crisis in South Africa, following the conclusion of the institution’s White Cross Project’s programme in Washington, D.C.
The discussion centred on the proposals contained in the White Cross Project Campaign Report, including why developments in South Africa are relevant to American strategic interests, what the South African government could do immediately to address the current crises, and what constructive steps the United States could take to support reform and a more sustainable political settlement.
‘The meeting went very well and, importantly, the discussion focused not merely on what went wrong in South Africa, but on what can actually be done about it,’ said Dr Ernst Roets, Executive Director of Lex Libertas. ‘It included a discussion of Crossed Out, the Campaign Report, and future activities by Lex Libertas.’
Lex Libertas argued that the United States has a legitimate interest in a stable and prosperous South Africa for three broad reasons: to counter increasingly anti-American and anti-Western actions by the South African government; to support pro-American and pro-Western partners in the region; and to prevent the wider consequences that would follow from serious instability in South Africa. These consequences could include regional destabilisation, increased migration pressures and expanded opportunities for geopolitical rivals of the United States.
The meeting also addressed practical steps that the South African government could take immediately. These include consistent enforcement against incitement to violence, meaningful action on rural safety and farm attacks, reform or repeal of race-based legislation, and stronger protection of property rights. Lex Libertas emphasised that these interventions could alleviate the immediate symptoms of the crisis, even though deeper structural reform would still be required.
‘At the same time, we made the point that these problems are not isolated,’ Roets said. ‘They arise within a political system that has become excessively centralised and detached from the realities of South Africa’s different peoples and communities. That is why our long-term argument remains that South Africa requires meaningful decentralisation and self-governance.’
The report also proposes several steps the United States could consider. These include recognising the peaceful pursuit of self-governance as legitimate, applying targeted measures against individuals responsible for serious abuses, using economic engagement to encourage reform, protecting American companies from discriminatory race-based requirements, supporting reformers and self-governing initiatives, continuing to demand an end to incitement of violence and the prioritisation of rural safety not just through declaration, but in practice, appointing a Special Envoy to Afrikaners and other cultural minorities, and encouraging negotiations towards more sustainable political arrangements.
‘Our message is not that Washington can solve South Africa’s problems for us,’ Roets said. ‘The future of South Africa must ultimately be built by the peoples and communities who live there. But the United States can play a constructive role by supporting reform, encouraging accountability and helping to create political space for peaceful and sustainable alternatives.’
The White House meeting followed a week of White Cross Project activities in Washington, including the White Cross Project Conference at the National Press Club, the release of the documentary film Crossed Out: Confronting Persecution in South Africa, and the display of 3,000 white crosses commemorating victims of farm murders in front of the Washington Monument.
‘The White Cross Project was designed to make certain realities impossible to ignore and then to channel that awareness towards solutions,’ Roets said. ‘This meeting was an important part of that second objective. The work now continues.’
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‘Seeing all these people walking among the crosses, reading the names and listening to the stories of victims was an extraordinarily moving experience.’
Crossed Out brings together the evidence, the broader political context and, most importantly, the experiences of people who have personally lived through these realities.
‘We are not going to Washington merely to complain about South Africa,’ Roets said. ‘Our purpose is to present evidence, honour victims and argue for practical solutions.'