A group of Afrikaner business and political leaders presented a private trade proposal to US contacts at a dinner in Washington this week.
Business Day reports that the private meeting has raised concerns about parallel diplomacy as the country continues with its official negotiations on a revised trade deal with the US.
According to the newspaper, the group includes tech investor André Pienaar, Freedom Front Plus leader, Corné Mulder, and businessman Chris Opperman, who attended a private dinner hosted by the White House Historical Association on Tuesday.
“Yes, I am in Washington. I have been invited to attend a private dinner tonight at the White House Historical Association,” Mulder said.
The group released their trade proposals, placing critical minerals and energy at the centre of trade relations between South Africa and the United States. It claims Pretoria can offer the US a secure supply of minerals, including platinum-group metals, manganese and rare earths.
The Afrikaner group’s plan proposes a ‘Secure Saldanha Prosperity Corridor’ focused on the port of Saldanha Bay. It includes American-financed mineral processing plants, liquefied natural gas terminals and data centres powered by imported natural gas and nuclear energy, with a BEE exemption for the zone.
“Combined with a US-SA security technology partnership – as advocated by Johann Rupert at the White House trade-delegation meeting in May – mines, refineries, ports and logistics would be equipped with the best American platforms for surveillance, data analysis, and law enforcement support,” said Mulder.
“The co-operation agreement should also be expanded to address the following issues: global drug syndicates, which devastate communities in both countries, as well as joint efforts to combat smuggling, illicit financing, and border corruption. Shared digital platforms for cargo monitoring can make trade corridors safer, lower risk premiums and unlock new investment.”
Department of Trade, Industry and Competition spokesperson Kaamil Alli declined to comment about the private proposal.
“We’d prefer not to comment extensively on this except to say that we have been continuing our constructive engagements with our counterparts on the text which forms the basis of our negotiations,” said Alli.
