by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – THE year is shaping up to be the most abrasive one for South Africa in the international battlefield.
Two months into the year, it has lurched into as many diplomatic tiffs.
The way these rifts with Rwanda and the United States have started, South Africa can be branded the underdog, with a president on the ropes locally and on the international front.
Relations with America hit rock bottom on Monday after President Donald Trump announced his government would cut off all future funding to South Africa, in response to the divisive Expropriation Bill, which his counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law.
Also criticised by some parties in the Ramaphosa-led coalition government, It is a legislative amendment enacted by Parliament, establishing the framework for compulsory property acquisition by government entities.
This is to address colonial imbalances over land. Most of the land remains under the hands of the white minority, over 20 years after independence.
Trump accused the South African government of doing “terrible things” hence his threat of cutting aid.
“South Africa is confiscating land and treating certain classes of people very badly,” Trump blasted.
Albeit misinformed, Trump argued this was a human rights violation.
“The United States won’t stand for it. We will act,” he threatened.
“Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed.”
Reports indicate this has not only sent shockwaves through the political landscape locally but in the markets, with the rand having fallen by 1,9 percent, now trading at around R19 to the dollar.
The southern African country has responded swiftly. Parliament cited Trump’s “misunderstanding of South African policy on land matters.”
“President Trump simply assumes that Black South Africans whose land was taken by force, murder and arrests should be left unattended by the democratic government that the same people (the majority) voted for,” said Supra Mahumapelo, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation.
He denounced any approach that he said sought to undermine the sovereignty of other states such as South Africa.
Gwede Mantashe, the Minister of Mineral Resources, was more radical in his response.
“Let’s withhold minerals to the US. If they don’t give us money, let’s not give them minerals,” he told the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town.
This represents a widening rift between the superpower and Africa’s largest economy and political powerhouse, whose political might has nonetheless suffered a blow after its military strength has been battered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In 2023, America’s top envoy in South Africa accused his host country of covertly providing arms to Russia in its war with Ukraine.
Despite its claimed policy of non-alignment, critics accuse South Africa of siding with Russia.
South Africa is a member of the BRICS+, which literally stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) respectively.
The US has been explicit in its support of Ukraine.
In the Middle East, South Africa has taken Israel, America’s ally, to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its genocide conduct in the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war.
According to experts, it is white business owners and pressure groups misleading the new US government, claiming that white South Africans are being persecuted.
The name of South African-born US-based global businessman Elon Musk has sprung up.
It is believed sanctions or tariffs would have hurt the white business or land owners, hence they advocated for cutting aid, which supposedly would harm the majority poor black and the government.
Vincent Magwenya, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, said his principal was looking forward to engaging with the Trump administration over the land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest.
“We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters.”
Magwenya said besides the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) which constitutes 17 percent of South Africa’s HIV/AIDS programme, there is no other funding received by South Africa from America.
Concurrently, a tiff has ensued between South Africa and Rwanda.
This after President Paul Kagame launched a tirade against South African president Ramaphosa, even accusing him of “lying.”
The fallout came after a phone call between the two leaders amid the killing of the 14 South African soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in Democratic Republic of Congo.
They died in the battle with the March 23 Movement (M23( rebel, allegedly backed by the Rwandan military.
Kagame did not take kindly to accusations the M23 was backed by the “Rwanda Defence Force militia.”
“And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day,” Kagame dared South Africa.
It is the sternest test to the Ramaphosa administration, since he came to power in 2018.
Trump is seen as a firm leader, unlike Ramaphosa, who is criticised as indecisive.
On the other hand, his background is that of a lawyer and one of the wealthiest individuals in the country, in contrast to Kagame, a military man.
Ramaphosa has earned an unlikely sympathiser in Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who is one of his biggest critics and that of the coalition government.
“We are not going to have Rwanda dictating to us or Kagame speaking to Cyril the way he was doing. We know Cyril is weak but he remains the president of our country,” the opposition leader said.
– CAJ News