For years, the South African lobbying powerhouse AfriForum has built its brand on a foundation of “principled” outrage. They are the first to the microphones when President Cyril Ramaphosa stumbles, the most aggressive in their pursuit of allegedly corrupt ANC officials, and the most persistent voices whispering in Washington corridors—particularly during periods when US–South Africa relations teeter near collapse.
But as the 30 January 2026 release of more than three million pages of Jeffrey Epstein investigative files sends shockwaves through the global elite, AfriForum’s usually hyper-active media machine has gone conspicuously silent.
The reason is transparent: the documents do not implicate AfriForum’s preferred political targets. They implicate its most powerful patrons.
The “Unholy Trinity” and the Epstein Stench
Over the past year, AfriForum has positioned itself as a local vanguard for the political and economic ideologies orbiting Donald Trump and Elon Musk—an alignment that has coincided with intensifying pressure campaigns against the South African government. These efforts have unfolded alongside diplomatic flare-ups, including the deterioration of Pretoria’s foreign relations (see Diplomatic war erupts as South Africa and Israel expel each other’s envoys).
The newly released Epstein files, however, cast a sordid shadow over these supposedly “moral” alliances.
- Elon Musk’s “Wild” Inquiries
While AfriForum champions Musk as a heroic victim of South Africa’s allegedly “racist” BEE laws—especially amid its aggressive lobbying for Starlink—the Epstein files tell a different story. Emails dated 2012 and 2013 show Musk asking Epstein, “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?” and coordinating flight logistics for a potential visit with his then-wife.
Musk has downplayed the exchanges, but cordial correspondence with a convicted sex offender is a stain AfriForum has chosen to ignore entirely. - The Trump Regime Ties
AfriForum leaders have repeatedly traveled to Washington to present dossiers to the Trump administration, contributing to sanctions threats and trade pressure during a period marked by US tariffs that placed significant strain on South Africa’s economy and leadership.
Yet Trump’s name appears thousands of times in the Epstein investigative cache, linked to decades of social proximity. The organization’s calls for “ethical leadership” appear to have a sharply defined political boundary.
Selective sanctions and the Starlink crusade
AfriForum’s hypocrisy becomes clearest when comparing its domestic fury with its international restraint:
- Weaponised Sanctions
The group has openly urged the Trump administration to punish South African officials, often invoking “human rights” and “moral failure.” These arguments echo earlier campaigns built on disputed narratives, including the debunked “white genocide” myth (see Data vs Fiction: Debunking the white genocide myth used in Trump G20 US boycott).
Yet AfriForum has offered no clarity on whether leaders connected to the Epstein circle meet its own moral threshold for alliance. - The Starlink Stumping
Regulatory hurdles facing Starlink have been reframed by AfriForum as racial persecution, with millions reportedly spent lobbying on Musk’s behalf—despite his correspondence now residing in an FBI file labeled “Epstein Investigative Records.”
The sound of political convenience
When Cyril Ramaphosa is implicated in domestic controversies like Phala Phala, AfriForum’s press releases arrive before the news cycle peaks. Demands for resignations, international intervention, and public moral reckoning are immediate—especially during moments of diplomatic vulnerability, including Ramaphosa’s tense engagements abroad.
But when the men AfriForum relies on to exert economic and political pressure on South Africa are swept into the fallout of the most sordid scandal of the century, the watchdog falls silent.
This silence exposes the truth about AfriForum’s mission. It is not anchored in universal human rights or justice—principles it readily invokes when attacking the ANC or defending US-aligned pressure campaigns (see also AfriForum’s US engagement sparks accusations of misinformation and treason).
It is about power and access.
Conclusion: Moral authority for sale
AfriForum cannot have it both ways. An organization cannot claim the moral high ground while standing comfortably in the shadow of men linked to Little Saint James. By remaining silent on the Trump and Musk connections revealed in the 2026 Epstein files, AfriForum has demonstrated that its outrage is not guided by principle.
It is guided by politics.
And in that silence, the watchdog has told the public everything it needs to know.
