Mailbox: How Iran took control of South Africa’s foreign policy

Key topics:Ramaphosa accused of selling SA policy to Iran’s regimeClaims link ANC’s ICJ case to Iranian and Hamas fundingUS urged to impose sanctions on Ramaphosa’s inner circle.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Grant Gochin.As a proud South African and American, I cherish South Africa's vibrant people and hard-won freedoms. But my love for my homeland compels me to expose a damning conspiracy: President Cyril Ramaphosa has sold Pretoria's foreign policy to Iran's mullahs, in league with the Muslim Brotherhood and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), turning the ANC into Tehran's compliant proxy in a global war against the West. This isn't speculation—it's a 20-year web of documented bribes, backroom deals, and mystery money that purchased South Africa's fraudulent ICJ genocide charges against Israel. Ramaphosa is the willing vendor; Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola is merely his stooge. The United States must respond with widespread sanctions on Ramaphosa and his inner circle—freezing assets, banning travel, choking financial lifelines, and deploying the full arsenal of economic warfare—to dismantle this corrupt axis and reclaim South Africa's sovereignty. The Conspiracy: Iran's Purchase of PretoriaConsider the timeline that screams quid pro quo. In 2005, as MTN chairman, Ramaphosa inked a crooked $800 million deal for a 49% stake in Irancell, Iran's second-largest mobile operator controlled by Tehran's military brass. Leaked MTN documents from a 2012 U.S. lawsuit reveal Ramaphosa's team promised Iranian officials access to South African defence contractors, military hardware like drones, and IAEA votes to shield Tehran's nuclear program. U.S. courts now probe MTN for funneling funds to Iran's IRGC, which bankrolled attacks killing American troops. Fast-forward to ANC's near-bankruptcy in late 2023—500 million rand in debt, facing asset sales. Then, on December 29, 2023, South Africa files its absolutely fraudulent ICJ genocide charges against Israel—days after Iran's proxies Hamas and Hezbollah, in coordination with the Muslim Brotherhood and PFLP, launched their October 7 massacre. By January 2024, the ANC's debts mysteriously vanished. ISGAP reports confirm Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Qatar funelled millions post-filing to hijack the ANC for anti-Israel legal warfare. The Muslim Brotherhood’s networks, with their deep ties to Hamas and the PFLP, provided ideological and logistical support, amplifying the propaganda campaign through their global influence. Then-Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor's Tehran visit post-massacre, coupled with discreet meetings with Muslim Brotherhood operatives, and Hamas envoy hosting in Pretoria, followed by Lamola's July 2024 Iran glad-handing, complete the picture. .Read more:.How ANC’s Iran alliance exposes a dangerous foreign policy gamble: Ilan Preskovsky.Even post-AGOA expiration on September 30, 2025, Ramaphosa dispatched SANDF chief Rudzani Maphwanya to Tehran in August for "military cooperation"—unsanctioned by parliament, aligned with his Iranian axis, and bolstered by PFLP and Muslim Brotherhood intermediaries facilitating terror-aligned networks. ANC-Iran summits, joint naval drills with Russia (Tehran's ally), and Hezbollah training camps on South African soil, complemented by Muslim Brotherhood-backed ideological training and PFLP coordination, seal the deal. This is Iran's playbook, executed with the Muslim Brotherhood and PFLP: buy African footholds to evade sanctions and export terror. The Fraudulent Campaign's DamageThis wasn't "inflammatory rhetoric"—it was a vicious propaganda war comprising an eighth front against Israel, weaponizing international law to shield Hamas butchers, PFLP operatives, and Iran's terror network, with the Muslim Brotherhood’s global media and advocacy machine amplifying the lies. Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, 1,158 Israeli soldiers and security personnel have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to a Jerusalem Post report citing official Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) data as of late 2025. If Israel's intent was genocide—as falsely accused by South Africa’s ICJ filing—it could have been executed swiftly with overwhelming military superiority, potentially in a single day, without risking Israeli lives. Instead, Israel has endured 1,158 heroic sacrifices while conducting a protracted, two-year operation prioritising precision strikes, civilian evacuations, and humanitarian corridors to minimise Palestinian casualties. The IDF's documented efforts include warnings via leaflets, phone calls, and "roof-knocking" munitions, alongside facilitating aid deliveries despite Hamas's misuse of resources. In a true genocide, no Israeli heroes would have fallen; the absence of such rapid annihilation, coupled with Israel's restraint amid ongoing threats from Hamas, the PFLP, and allies, exposes South Africa’s accusations as baseless propaganda. The ANC's ICJ farce, orchestrated by Ramaphosa's cabal and fueled by Muslim Brotherhood and PFLP collaboration, inflicted severe damage on Western alliances while ordinary South Africans suffer blackouts, bankrupt municipalities, and now U.S. tariff threats post-AGOA's demise. Widespread Sanctions ArsenalThe U.S. response must be comprehensive and crushing: Target Ramaphosa Personally: Under Global Magnitsky and OFAC, freeze Ramaphosa's assets worldwide, revoke his U.S. visa, and probe his MTN-linked IRGC fortunes. Extending to Lamola, DIRCO propagandists, and family enablers implicated in Iranian, Muslim Brotherhood, and PFLP bribes.Economic Warfare: Post-AGOA expiration, impose blanket tariffs on South African autos, agriculture, and minerals. Blacklist ANC-linked banks from SWIFT. Tighten export controls on dual-use technologies. Tie any trade thaw to ICJ withdrawal, severed Hamas/Hezbollah/PFLP/Muslim Brotherhood ties, and transparent ANC funding audits. Global Sanctions Coalition: Rally EU, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan in unified action, sharing forensic dossiers on ANC-Iran graft, Hezbollah camps, Muslim Brotherhood networks, PFLP coordination, and illicit flows. Multilateral pressure closes Beijing/Moscow bailout routes and amplifies isolation.Forensic Exposure: Subpoena MTN records in U.S. probes. Partner with FATF to freeze suspicious flows. Publish damning reports on state capture, Iranian/Muslim Brotherhood/PFLP cash-for-ICJ deals, and Hamas funding. Prosecute enablers under U.S. anti-terror laws.Ironclad "Box-In" Mechanisms: No sanctions relief for symbolic ICJ pullbacks or apologies. Demand verifiable reforms: independent U.N. monitoring commission, audited propaganda funding probes, parliamentary/judicial overhauls certified by neutral observers, codified in binding multilateral pacts. Financial Transparency Hammer: Expand anti-money-laundering scrutiny of state-linked accounts. Support domestic/international investigations into illicit financing. Forensic audits and public reporting deter corruption and empower whistleblowers. Protecting South AfricansThis targets Ramaphosa's corrupt elite and terror-enabling puppets, not South Africa's people. Humanitarian aid, educational exchanges, civil-society ties must continue to nurture citizens and preserve reform avenues. The governing thugs bear the consequences for weaponising law against democratic allies. Countering the "Democratic Partner" MythCritics bleat Pretoria's a "democracy" unworthy of wrath. Nonsense! Democracies don't fabricate genocide charges for ayatollah cash, Muslim Brotherhood propaganda, or PFLP terror support, host terror proxies, or sell IAEA votes while U.S. soldiers bleed containing Iranian proxies. Ramaphosa's Iran addiction, amplified by Muslim Brotherhood and PFLP collusion, mirrors rogue regimes; treat it accordingly. .Read more:.ICJ case against Israel invokes Mandela’s Apartheid legacy.The Evidence OverwhelmsU.S. lawsuits, think-tank exposés, leaked documents, and ANC's unexplained windfalls corroborate this conspiracy. A 160-lawyer letter to Blinken alleges Tehran's bribes, funnelled through Muslim Brotherhood and PFLP channels, resolved ANC debts for ICJ weaponisation. Ramaphosa's MTN graft echoes in today's betrayals. This open secret fuels Pretoria's anti-West pivot. Call to ActionPresident Trump, Congress: Act now. Issue executive orders for widespread, targeted sanctions against Ramaphosa and his cabal. Legislate permanence. Ramaphosa and the ANC have positioned South Africa as the enemy of America and the West, and a vassal state of Islamic fundamentalism. Expose the purchase, sanction the purchaser, and dismantle the Muslim Brotherhood and PFLP networks enabling it, freeing South Africa from Tehran's grip. I demand accountability—a South Africa purged of this poison, restored to global honor. Ramaphosa's conspiracy unravels daily; ensure it ends in infamy, not impunity.

Mailbox: How Iran took control of South Africa’s foreign policy

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