AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel sat down with News24 politics editor Mahlatse Mahlase to discuss his organisation's recent comments on apartheid, academics and land. Kriel sparked outrage this week when he said that apartheid was not a crime against humanity - even though the United Nations classified it as such. "We believe that people's dignity should be respected, and in our minds there's no doubt that people's dignity were infringed upon during the apartheid system," Kriel told News24. "As soon as you try to have a debate, you are branded as a denialist; somebody who does not care for the suffering of black people and so forth," Kriel told Mahlase. "People are trying to call us names, saying we are in denial, but that is definitely not the case." He was adamant that AfriForum was not trying to rewrite history, adding that his organisation believed in the concept of "mutual recognition and respect". The pair also touched on issues of land reform, race and AfriForum's recent trip to America, to campaign against farm murders in South Africa. Mahlase challenged Kriel on his organisation's motives for the trip abroad. "What we did is a deed of patriotism. We are trying to avert a catastrophe in this country," Kriel said.

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