Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan has confirmed he is a paying member of AfriForum, telling Parliament’s ad hoc committee that he contributes R120 monthly to the lobby group despite disagreeing with some of its positions .
Testifying on 10 February 2026, O’Sullivan was pressed by EFF MP Leigh-Anne Mathys on why he funds an organisation he described as spreading “fake news propaganda” about “a non-existent white genocide” in South Africa .
O’Sullivan compared his membership to paying tax: “Yeah, so, you know, I pay my taxes too, but I don’t align with everything” the government does with revenue, citing corruption by public servants .
Mathys rejected the comparison, stating tax is compulsory while AfriForum membership is voluntary. “So you are subscribed to an organisation that is going around saying your beloved country that you so loved during apartheid in the 80s is committing a genocide?” she asked .
O’Sullivan responded “no” when asked if he aligns with AfriForum’s claims on white genocide. He said his 2016 membership decision was based on practical considerations: “My decision to join AfriForum was informed by the fact that they had a telephone number you could ring if someone tried to do something to you that is a crime” .
He acknowledged being close to AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel, to whom he had previously donated a whiskey bottle .
Context on AfriForum’s position
AfriForum has repeatedly denied spreading a “white genocide” narrative. Kriel stated in November 2025: “We never used that terminology… All we are asking from the government and the president is – condemn this call, acknowledge the fact that we are seeing tortures that accompany these murders, and declare it a priority crime” .
The organisation maintains it has told US officials that Afrikaners “are going nowhere” and should not seek refuge abroad .
However, Cabinet noted in March 2025 that SAPS met with AfriForum to clarify “allegations of white genocide with reference to farm murders,” stating AfriForum “conceded that the crime statistics as released by the Minister of Police are accurate, including on farm murders” .
President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned what he calls a “disinformation campaign” impacting South Africa’s international relations, while AfriForum insists it is being scapegoated for diplomatic tensions .
O’Sullivan’s two-day testimony before the ad hoc committee also addressed his investigations into senior police leadership, the Crime Intelligence “slush fund,” and his past training of President Ramaphosa as a police reservist in 1997 .
